


Rainbows over Salineas

by alysurr



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Blood, Canon Compliant, Christmas, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Planning, Fertility Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gift Exchange, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Infertility, Memory Loss, Miscarriage, Mood Swings, New Parents, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, chipped mermista, parenting, pregnancy announcement, pregnancy loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 40,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alysurr/pseuds/alysurr
Summary: As the Queen of Salineas, it's expected of Mermista to give birth to a heir. That's not a big deal, she figured she'd eventually want kids anyways. Sea Hawk does.After many of their friends begin having children of their own, Mermista decides that it's probably time, or whatever.Sometimes, though, it's not as easy as it looks.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Castaspella/Juliet (She-Ra), Catra & Mermista (She-Ra), Catra & Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Mermista & Micah (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 159
Kudos: 172





	1. if any time is the right time, it’s now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've hinted at Mermista having fertility issues in other fics, and spewed my headcanons all over the Seamista and Glimbow discords. So I guess now it's time to explore it for real.  
> Not sure if this will get smutty, but due to the content it will get graphic over time.

“And then Glimmer said that it was downright disrespectful for little Angello to come out looking exactly like Bow after she carried him for nine months.”

Mermista snorted, having to set down her coffee so she didn’t end up choking on it while Sea Hawk recounted his trip to Bright Moon for her. Glimmer and Bow had just welcomed their first child, Prince Angello, to the world about a month ago. Mermista had been in back to back meetings with Salinean city-state leadership and minor royal families for several months, and only Sea Hawk had managed a break long enough to go visit their friends. She felt bad, but Glimmer insisted she understood. 

“Also, they really wanted you to be there for the announcement, but they couldn’t wait any longer--Catra and Adora are expecting a little one, too, now.” 

“Really? Damn. I… didn’t know they could, you know, with Catra being a Magicat and Adora being a First One and all…” Mermista said thoughtfully. 

“Pardon the interruption, your royal majesties,” ButlerGuard announced from the dining room doorway. 

“Pardoned,” Mermista responded almost robotically. Growing up with these kinds of formalities often had her reacting on command.

“I have a letter here for Captain, ah, King Sea Hawk.” ButlerGuard entered the dining room and presented Sea Hawk with the letter. 

“Ooh! I wonder who it’s from--ah! My good friend, Bill!” Sea Hawk tore off the side of the envelope in such a careless way that Mermista was surprised he didn’t rip the letter it contained as well. 

“The good friend who didn’t show up to our wedding? Or to your weird kidnapping scheme?” Mermista jabbed as she signaled that ButlerGuard was dismissed. 

“Indeed!” Sea Hawk said cheerfully as he began to read the letter. “He said congratulations on our marriage…” he reached out and intertwined his fingers with Mermista’s, squeezing her hand lovingly. “Oh, how wonderful! He has also recently been betrothed, we should send him a gift!”

“Noted,” Mermista said, knowing he would definitely forget to do it himself. 

“And they just welcomed a baby girl into their lives, named Melody! Amazing!” Sea Hawk’s face melted, a sappy smile pulling at the ends of his mustache as he finished up the letter, then folded it before putting it back into the envelope and setting it down on the table. He sighed contentedly, placing his other hand on Mermista’s, and she busied herself with her breakfast, avoiding eye contact. 

Sea Hawk didn’t falter under her coyness. “Dearest,” he said softly, pausing for a response. When it didn’t come, he cleared his throat. “All of our friends seem to be having their own little bundles of joy, have you considered..?”

Mermista counted to twenty as she chewed her food, then took a very long sip of her coffee, still avoiding eye contact with her husband as she set her mug down.

“Wow, the ocean’s, like, really blue today,” she commented. 

“Misty.” 

“Yeah, I’ve considered,” she responded quickly this time, her amber eyes settling on his. “It’s just, you know… the castle’s so quiet. I like quiet. Babies need constant attention. _You_ need constant attention.” She placed her free hand on top of his, her wedding ring glistening under the hundreds of lights coming off of the chandelier above them. 

“I remember you saying in the past that you eventually wanted kids, did you change your mind?” Sea Hawk asked. “If you did, well, I admit I’d be a little disappointed, of course, but I’d respect your decision.” 

“No, it’s not that… I didn’t change my mind. Besides, I kind of have to have a kid so there’s a heir to the throne. It’s like, my duty or whatever. I just... I don’t know. It’s a lot.” She chewed on her lip, and the grandfather clock on the other side of the room began to chime. “Shit, is it already this late?” Mermista ran a hand through her hair as she stood up, then took Sea Hawk’s chin under her finger and tilted his head up for a kiss. “We need to get ready, the Callaways and the Boysters are going to be here soon for a meeting about where their borders actually are. Can we continue this conversation tonight?” 

“Of course, my darling,” Sea Hawk said with a smile, standing up from his own chair and pressing his lips to her knuckles.

 _She didn’t change her mind_. 

* * *

“Those people are insufferable,” Mermista complained as she entered the bedroom from the bathroom in her nightgown, freshly showered with azure hair falling down her back in soft waves. “Your borders have been there for centuries, why fight about it _now_.” She flopped face down on the bed next to Sea Hawk with a groan, wrapping her arms around the pillow that ended up under her head. He closed his book and set it down on the nightstand, before moving to sit next to his queen. After sweeping her hair to the side, he began to massage her shoulders, pressing into the tighter spots with his thumbs. She sighed contentedly. “Ugh, I love you,” she said into the pillow. 

“And I love you, my princess,” Sea Hawk said softly, leaning down to press his lips to her shoulder.

“Queen, now,” Mermista corrected.

“You’ll always be _my_ princess, dearest,” Sea Hawk responded in the _sappiest_ voice.

Mermista groaned in response. “You’re so lame.” 

He worked his way down her back, spending extra time on places that seemed more tense than others, all the way to her hips. He knew not to go any lower--the backs of her thighs were tickle territory, and that was a sure way to ruin everyone’s night. 

“Thank you,” Mermista said as he finished up, moving back to his previous position. She sat up, rolling her shoulders back, then moving so she was cuddled up to his side. “I didn’t even realize how much I needed that.” 

“That’s why you have me,” Sea Hawk smirked, adjusting the blankets so that they were over the both of them. Mermista wrapped a leg around his, her cold feet pressed against his calf, and nuzzled her face into his soft cotton shirt. 

He thought that maybe she was going to try and avoid the topic of conversation from that morning, and he wouldn’t press it if she did--it was a big thing to unload on her. But they’d been married for two and a half years now, and together for almost ten, counting the times they were broken up. (He did--even during those times she was the only person he’d ever loved.)

He was pleasantly surprised when she suddenly said, “I’ll make arrangements tomorrow for a Mystacor healer to come to the castle and remove my fertility block spell as soon as they can fit me in.”

“ _Really_!?” Sea Hawk practically squealed, the arm around Mermista squeezing her tightly against him. 

“Yeah,” she laughed, tilting her head so she was looking at his dark puppy dog eyes with her amber ones. “The Horde has been defeated, the Alliance is stronger than ever, Salineas is pretty much rebuilt, trade has been great, and it’s not like we’re getting any younger… if any time is the right time, it’s now.” 

“You know, I think we should practice.” 

“Practice..?”

“Baby-making. You know. So we are ready when it’s time for the real thing.” 

“Oh shut up, you goober.” 


	2. Dr. Ostrea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista pays a visit to the lady doctor.

The sorcerer from Mystacor that took care of Mermista’s birth control insisted that she just go in for a full examination, since she was due to have one anyway. She waffled over scheduling it where Sea Hawk could come, too, but decided against it. It was just a routine, unceremonious appointment. Besides, it wasn’t like she needed her people to know what they were attempting to do, and it was surprisingly easier for her to go unnoticed in the absence of her boisterous and flamboyant husband. 

Who knew?

Dr. Ostrea was a kind, older woman who always welcomed Mermista with open arms and a reminder that she was the woman who delivered Mermista into the world. She was a sorcerer and healer, too, specializing in gynecology and obstetrics. And she practically  _ squealed _ when Mermista walked into her examination room that morning for her 6am appointment, already clad in the hospital gown.

“It’s been too long, Mermista, dear!” She didn’t bother with formalities, which Mermista appreciated, considering that Dr. Ostrea was the only person in Etheria who was as intimate with Mermista’s lady bits as Sea Hawk. 

“Has it?” Mermista asked. “I feel like I was just here, like, a year ago.” 

“And that is too long! Where’s that husband of yours? He’s so entertaining, and not bad to look at, either,” the older woman winked at her. Mermista wished she wouldn’t, considering she was sitting between her legs right now as she laid on the exam table. She was so quick and efficient, though, the agonizing part of the exam was over in no time. The doctor sent Mermista to change back into her normal clothes as she reviewed everything. 

“So!” Dr. Ostrea clasped her hands together as soon as Mermista returned to the examination room and shut the door behind her. “Babies!” 

Mermista inhaled sharply, then let it out slowly as she sat back down on the examination table. “Yes.”

“You don’t sound very excited.” 

Mermista shrugged. “It’s, like, 6:30am, doc.” 

Dr. Ostrea beamed at her. “That’s fair! I’ll start by saying everything looks normal, nothing of concern.”

“That’s good, right?”

“It is! Now all I need to do is a quick spell to reverse the birth control…” Using two fingers, the doctor drew a circular rune and flicked it so that it dissolved as it hit Mermista’s abdomen. “There we go! You should be good to go now!” 

Mermista stood up from the exam table. “Thanks for everything,” she said with a soft smile. 

“Of course! Please feel free to give me a call if you need anything or have any questions. And Princess?”

“Yeah?”

“Be kind to yourself and listen to your body. You’ve been through a lot of physical trauma, something like this might take some time.” 

“Thanks, doc.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you love, like, feel neutral or hate it! Let me know what you’re thinking so far :)


	3. soon, dearest

Little blue minus signs had been mocking Mermista for months now. Today was no different. She glared at the pregnancy test on the counter with contempt, then tossed it in the trash. Didn’t people get pregnant by accident, like, all the time? Nobody told her it was this hard to get pregnant on  _ purpose _ . 

It was still fairly early in the morning, and the castle at Bright Moon was quiet as she and Sea Hawk headed towards the courtyard together. Not much had changed in the last few years, other than the overall mood. There did appear to be less guards wandering around the halls, which was kind of nice. It reminded Mermista of home. 

Sea Hawk was going on about something he and Bow had been working on, and Mermista was half-listening, or at least, she thought she was. Sea Hawk stopped, and she turned around.

“What’s up?”

“You just agreed to buy a zoo and adopt Swift Wind,” Sea Hawk said.

“Oh. Sorry, babe.”

“What’s got you stuck in your head, dearest?” Sea Hawk took her hand and led her to one of Bright Moon’s many sitting rooms, but Mermista headed towards the balcony. Really, they were waiting for Catra and Adora to return from Mystacor with their new baby sometime today. That was the whole reason they were in Bright Moon, anyways. Mermista had also yet to meet little Angello, but she wasn’t going to burst into Glimmer and Bow’s living quarters just after they arrived late last night. 

Mermista leaned against the railing, looking out over the gardens. Perfuma and Scorpia were already outside, and had set up a spot under a huge shade tree. They appeared to be meditating. Sea Hawk came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling his face into her neck. 

“Your mustache tickles,” Mermista laughed, and he made sure to tickle her just a little bit more before pressing his lips just below her ear. She sighed contentedly, leaning back into him. “Another negative,” she said finally. 

“Ah,” Sea Hawk said, pulling her closer. He hummed thoughtfully for a few moments, then asked: “Do you think, maybe, it’s not you--it’s me?”

Mermista turned around in his embrace, leaning her back against the balcony now with his hands on either side of her. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, Dr. Ostrea has been doing tests on you and making you take all of those supplements, but what if you’re not the problem? What if there’s something wrong with me?” 

Mermista looked over Sea Hawk’s face, the face of the man she loved so fiercely. His soft, dark eyes that seemed to look into her very soul, eyes that once burned with a lust for life, fire, and freedom, but now were softer, accented with laugh lines and the warmth of his unfaltering love. She pressed a kiss to his soft lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down towards her, so he was pressing her into the balcony. A hand found the small of her back as he deepened the kiss, but he pulled back. 

“I’m serious, Misty.” 

“I don’t know, honestly. I wish I did. She thinks that it’s because of all the stuff that happened to my body during the war, when I was… you know. Getting tossed around like a ragdoll, electrocuted, attacked by bots. She said my mom had the same problems, too, ‘cause my dad isn’t a merperson. She thought it might be easier for us since I have more Etherian genes, but…” she shrugged. Sea Hawk already knew all of that, he went to the appointments with her. 

“Maybe I’ll ask Bow for some pointers…”

“NO!” Mermista exclaimed. “I don’t want people to know we’re--” She was interrupted by a burst of glitter.

“Know you’re what?” Glimmer asked as she appeared next to them. 

“Um, we’re, uh…” Mermista stuttered. 

“Thinking of changing the Salinean crest,” Sea Hawk easily jumped in. “The trident is so old school, I really think we should change it to a flaming ship.”

“You’re not serious,” Glimmer said, looking at Sea Hawk like his head had disappeared. She turned to Mermista questioningly. 

“Oh, he is,” Mermista laughed, allowing Glimmer to move in for a hug and mouthing a “thank you” to Sea Hawk, who winked in response. “I keep telling him no, but he seems to think he has some sort of authority.”

“Alas, King is merely a title,” Sea Hawk said as he returned Glimmer’s hug. “Motherhood is looking wonderful on you, Glimmer.”

“Thanks! Mermista! You haven’t met him yet! Come on!” 

Sea Hawk yelped as Glimmer grabbed both of their wrists and teleported them to the nursery, where Bow was just finishing dressing Angello in tiny denim overalls and a yellow shirt. Mermista’s face melted when he saw him. He really did look just like Bow, but with Glimmer’s lilac eyes and a slight sparkle to his mahogany curls. Bow handed him over to Glimmer just before Sea Hawk yanked him up into a tight hug. 

“Bow! Good to see you, my dear friend!” 

While the boys caught up with each other, Glimmer turned to Mermista. “Wanna hold him?” She asked. 

Mermista nodded. “Yeah.” 

Angello smiled a toothless grin and babbled, looking up at Mermista with wide, bright eyes. “You’re so handsome,” Mermista cooed. She laughed as he reached up and patted her cheeks with both hands in response, gurgling. When she looked up from him, everyone was staring at her with puppy dog eyes. “What?” She asked. 

Bow spoke up, Sea Hawk’s arm still around his shoulders. “I’ve never seen you look so soft before, Mermista!” 

Mermista pursed her lips, and Angello took the opportunity to tangle his hands in her braid while she was distracted. 

“Oh no no!” Glimmer crooned, gently taking Angello’s hand and untangling it. “Sorry, he’s in a hair pulling stage.” 

“It’s fine,” Mermista said. “It doesn’t bother me.” She caught the end of a smirk from Sea Hawk before he opened his mouth and shot him a look that had him turn whatever he was going to say into a wink. “I’m actually surprised you guys are here and not with Catra and Adora at Mystacor.”

“I wanted to be there, but Adora got all weird about it last minute and said she wanted it to just be her and Catra. I had Angello here so I could avoid having Aunt Casta in the labor room,” Glimmer said. “But because they’re having twins we all agreed Mystacor is safer.” 

Mermista nodded. “I’d probably do it at home too, since it’s supposed to be underwater with a Mermaid anyways. Wait, twins? Adora didn’t tell me that.” 

“They didn’t know last time they were in Salineas. I think they found out just after they came back,” Glimmer explained. Mermista hadn’t been to Bright Moon in almost a year. She was busy, okay? Rebuilding her kingdom had been a lot of work, and there was still a lot left to do, in her mind. Sea Hawk had come to Mermista’s side, and Angello was reaching out to him as he greeted the infant with an over the top grin. 

“Is it okay if I..?” Mermista asked, and Glimmer nodded. 

“He’s not made of glass,” Glimmer said with a smile. She kept talking, but Mermista was blindsided by the sight of her husband holding Angello. Sea Hawk looked way too good with a kid in his arms, even more so when he nuzzled into Angello’s stomach and blew a raspberry on it, causing the baby to giggle uncontrollably. Mermista suddenly realized she’d trade her tail for the ability to teleport them back to her bedroom at this very moment. She chewed on her lip to distract herself from heat that suddenly filled her body. 

A guard popped their head into the nursery. “Your majesty? Princess Adora and Catra have returned from Mystacor.”

Glimmer squealed, grabbing everyone in the room and teleporting them to the courtyard. 

Mermista reflexively reached out to make sure Angello was supported, knowing how much Sea Hawk hated travel by teleportation, especially when it was so sudden. Sea Hawk had clutched the infant to his chest as he braced himself, and Mermista exhaled a sigh of relief. Angello seemed unbothered, giggling as he reached for Sea Hawk’s mustache. The hairs weren’t quite long enough for him to twist around his fingers, so Sea Hawk got off easy. 

Glimmer ran over to the carriage where Catra was helping Adora step down. Each of them had an infant in their arms, wrapped up in blankets. 

“Go,” Sea Hawk said cheerfully, tilting his head towards them. Mermista nodded and followed Glimmer, albeit at a much slower pace. 

The twins were both girls, Mara and Hope, Adora announced cheerfully. Both women looked tired, but Adora definitely looked a little dazed as the group walked into the castle together. Glimmer said she didn’t feel comfortable teleporting newborns. Glimmer and Adora were empathizing about childbirth, while Catra and Mermista shared a look. 

They ended up in a cozy sitting room that was already in the works of being transformed into a kid’s playroom, with floor cushions, bookshelves, toys and child sized tables. Angello started fussing in Sea Hawk’s arms, and Glimmer took him back to breastfeed him. 

Mermista leaned into Sea Hawk on the couch, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. Adora slumped down onto the seat next to them, looking drained. 

“Need a break?” Mermista asked. Adora nodded, handing over Mara.

“You have no idea,” she sighed. Leaning back and closing her eyes. 

Mara took after Adora but with Catra’s coloring. Mermista smiled down at her as she snuggled into her chest, emitting a tiny yawn. Hope was fussing in Catra’s arms, and Adora opened one eye to look at them. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Catra repeated, almost like she was trying to convince herself. 

Sea Hawk pressed a kiss to Mermista’s temple as she gently rocked sleeping Mara. 

“I can’t believe how tiny she is,” Mermista said. “Can you believe that we were all this small once?” 

“I’m not sure we all were, I recall my dad saying I was a really big baby,” Sea Hawk said cheerfully. 

“Tell me about it,” Mermista chided him before nuzzling her head into his chest while she looked down at Mara. She smelled so damn good, Mermista couldn’t even describe the way it made her feel. 

“Well you are both tall, so you guys will probably have bigger kids,” Bow said thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, have you thought about it?”

Sea Hawk looked down at Mermista lovingly. Stars, he wanted this with her so badly. “We’ve been thinking about it,” he said. “Just waiting for the right time.” 

“Honestly, I kind of figured you two would be the first ones,” Glimmer said. 

“Why?” Mermista asked with a small chuckle. 

“I mean, you guys have been together for, like, ever. Sea Hawk proposed like two minutes after the war was over.” 

Mermista glanced down at her ring, admiring it. “Well, Salineas came first,” she said. 

“Yeah, but, the rebuilding of Salineas was wrapped up almost two years ago,” Catra said. 

“No, your community service to Salineas ended two years ago,” Mermista reminded her. “I’ve still been working on making Salineas better than my parents left it, not to mention regaining the trust of my people after what happened.” She couldn’t help but feel her chest swell with pride over the work she had done in Salineas the last four and a half years. She was half ready to offer to do Princess Prom this decade, since it was in Snows, Bright Moon and Plumeria the last few times. Shit, maybe she’d even throw a ball or something this year. Trade had been  _ really  _ good the past two seasons. 

“Oh,” Catra said, uncharacteristically sheepish. 

“We didn’t want to rush into anything,” Sea Hawk said. “Enjoy being married for a little bit, alone.” 

“That why you’ve been so absent lately, Mermista?” Glimmer asked. 

“Because of Salineas or because I can’t keep this one off of me?” Sea Hawk chuckled next to her. “I’m sorry, I’m going to try to come by more often, I promise. I just feel like… I don’t want to let my people down again, or have them feel like I’m not there for them when they need me.”

Glimmer nodded. It wasn’t a secret that Mermista still had pretty bad PTSD and intense feelings of guilt from the war. They just wished she’d welcome help a little more often when it was offered to her. The first place they sent the ex-members of the Horde for community service was Salineas, and Mermista almost sent them back. The last thing she wanted to see every day was the faces of the people who destroyed her home. As the rebuilding commenced, though, Mermista and Catra bonded over sarcasm and mystery novels, and eventually became friends. Catra ended up serving her entire community service time in Salineas, even after everyone else had moved on to other cities and projects. 

“Hey, you’re welcome to swing by whenever,” Glimmer assured her. “We’re home most of the time, too, lately.” 

“Thanks, Glim,” Mermista said. Their conversation was cut short by the entrance of Perfuma and Scorpia, who were ready to coo over the babies. Mermista reluctantly handed over Mara, and Sea Hawk squeezed her when he noticed. 

“Soon, dearest,” he whispered in her ear. Mermista nodded, swinging her legs onto his lap and curling up into him while everyone caught up. 

They stayed in Bright Moon for about a week, and Mermista felt like she jumped him at every opportunity she got. He was just way too attractive with kids. It wasn’t until they’d been back in Salineas for a few days that she realized her period was late. 

Her hands shook as she waited for the test results, and she almost cried when she saw the little pink plus sign. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know your thoughts if you have any!


	4. teddy

Sea Hawk burst into the bathroom violently after Mermista shouted his name. He was in bed, so all he wore were socks and a pair of boxers. 

“What’s wrong!?” He exclaimed. 

Mermista thrust the pregnancy test at him with a huge grin. 

He looked at the test, his eyes widening, then up at Mermista, his grin mirroring hers. “Really?” His voice cracked. 

Mermista nodded, her eyes wet with happy tears. “Really,” she whispered.

Sea Hawk picked her up in his arms and spun her around with a gleeful holler. Mermista wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her back to the bed. They tangled themselves up in the bedsheets and Mermista sighed contentedly as she snuggled up to Sea Hawk’s chest. 

A sob rose up and caused his chest to shake, and Mermista pulled back to look at him. “Babe? What’s wrong?” 

Sea Hawk squeezed her to him. “You just make me so happy, darling,” he said as he wept. “I can’t believe this is happening.” 

“You’re such a sap!” Mermista said playfully.

“You love it.”

“I love you.” 

Sea Hawk choked out another sob. “I love you so much, dearest.” 

Months of feeling like a crazy hypochondriac were finally paying off. Every time a smell made her nauseous, her period was a day off, she was a little more bloated than usual, her nipples were extra sensitive, Mermista thought  _ this is it! _ Only to see another minus sign. 

“I’m going to be a dad,” Sea Hawk sniffled. 

“Yeah,” Mermista choked out, unable to stop her own tears from flowing. 

“I can’t wait to tell Bow!” 

Mermista laughed. “Just wait until we go to the doctor to really confirm, okay? I don’t wanna tell everyone then find out it was, like, a false positive.” 

Sea Hawk positioned them so that he could hold Mermista’s head in his big hands, and he kissed her deeply. 

“I kind of want to cancel everything and stay in bed all day,” Mermista said. “Just savor this a little.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Sea Hawk laughed. 

“The Boysters won’t be too mad if we reschedule dinner, right?”

* * *

“Four weeks!” Dr. Ostrea confirmed once they were in her office together. She had done a blood test to confirm the pregnancy. 

“So it did happen in Bright Moon,” Sea Hawk announced, causing Mermista to flush and hide her face in her hands. “All those babies around must have put something in the right place!”

“Stars, I want a divorce,” Mermista groaned playfully as Dr. Ostrea began to laugh. Sea Hawk gave her hand a little squeeze. 

“Can we see the little one?” Sea Hawk asked, with stars in his eyes. 

Dr. Ostrea shook her head. “Unfortunately the embryo is a little too small to detect on an ultrasound right now. I’ll schedule an appointment a month from now and you two will be able to see them then!” 

Sea Hawk nodded, but Mermista could tell he was a little disappointed. She intertwined her fingers in his. “What should I be focusing on right now? To make sure everything is okay?” 

“Drink plenty of water, keep taking your vitamins, try to avoid stress or excessive amounts of caffeine.” 

Mermista elbowed Sea Hawk. “Hear that? You can’t do anything to stress me out.” 

Sea Hawk put his hand to his chest. “Me? Stress you out? Dearest, I would never!” 

“I’ll get you a couple of lists of things you should be trying to eat more of, and what you should avoid. You might start experiencing tenderness and swelling in your breasts, and morning sickness, potentially.”

“I can’t wait to tell Bow!” Sea Hawk exclaimed. 

Dr. Ostrea gave the couple an anxious look. 

“What?” Mermista asked. 

“I don’t want to be a downer, but I usually suggest my patients wait until after twelve weeks to start telling friends and family about a pregnancy. The first trimester is a delicate time,” Dr. Ostrea said.

“Delicate how?” Mermista asked, feeling a lump rise up in her throat. 

“Usually if there is something wrong with the embryo it shows up during the first three months of development, so most miscarriages happen in the first trimester. I’m not saying you are more or less likely to be at risk for one, but I want to make sure you are aware that it is a possibility.” 

“Think you can keep quiet for two more months?” Mermista asked Sea Hawk. A whine rose up from his throat, but he nodded. Mermista rewarded him with a kiss on the temple. 

“Alright, well, I’ll see you two in a month! If you experience a high fever or any bleeding, come in as soon as possible, okay?” 

They thanked the doctor and walked out of the office hand in hand. Sea Hawk was practically vibrating with excitement, but Mermista was thinking. 

“You know, I think my mom had a miscarriage after I was born,” she said after a while. “I think I’m going to ask ButlerGuard about it when we get home.”

Sea Hawk squeezed her hand. “Just please try not to overthink it, dearest. Remember, you are not your mother.” 

Mermista nodded, leaning into him. “I know. Hey, do we have time to stop for breakfast before we have to meet with the Krebs?” 

Sea Hawk laughed heartily. “Can a Queen ever really be late?” 

Mermista smiled. “I knew I married you for a reason.”

“My dashing good looks?” 

“Come on.”

“Mermista! It’s my dashing good looks, right? Dearest?”

* * *

“How have you been feeling? Any nausea?” Dr. Ostrea asked at the next appointment as she spread a cool paste over Mermista’s stomach. 

Mermista shook her head. “Surprisingly, no. Everything has been fine. I don’t really feel any different, just bloated. I did have some spotting this week though.”

“That’s not super uncommon for the first few weeks as your hormones are regulating and increasing, you caught the pregnancy fairly early,” the doctor said. 

“That’s because she was taking a pregnancy test every other day,” Sea Hawk teased. 

“It was not every other day! It was like, once a week. Maybe.”

“Or any time you felt weird,” Sea Hawk added.

“Whatever,” Mermista laughed. 

“Your blood tests and urine analysis look fine. Do you two want to see your baby?” 

“Yes!” They said in unison. Sea Hawk grabbed Mermista’s hand and pressed the back of it to his lips. He hummed happily against her hand as the image came on the screen. 

Mermista gasped excitedly at the image. It was mostly just white lines and blobs, but in the center of it all was a black circle around a tiny, wiggly white bean. 

“That’s our baby,” Mermista sighed, tears filling her eyes. She looked down at Sea Hawk and he was looking at her in awe. 

“Our baby,” he repeated. 

“The heartbeat is a little slower than I’d normally like to see, but that’s not uncommon with merfolk,” Dr. Ostrea said. “You know your heart beats a bit slower than Sebastian’s, right?” 

Mermista nodded, but Sea Hawk asked, “Really, now!? That’s interesting.”

“My body temperature’s lower than yours, too,” Mermista added. 

“I knew that, I’ve met snow elves with warmer feet than yours,” Sea Hawk winked at her. 

“I do want to make sure we are monitoring that, though, so I’m going to schedule you to come back two weeks from now, sound good?” Dr. Ostrea asked. 

“I think so. We should be back from Bright Moon then, right?” Mermista turned to Sea Hawk, who was now staring at the screen with a big grin. 

“Hm? I think so. I can make it happen. You are married to the finest sea captain in all of Etheria, after all!”

“I’ll let you know if anything changes, or if the “finest sea captain in all of Etheria” manages to set his ship on fire before we make it home,” Mermista said as the doctor wiped the remaining paste from her stomach.

Dr. Ostrea looked concerned by her statement, but Sea Hawk just chuckled.

“Want a picture of the ultrasound for the road?” She changed the subject. 

“Yes, please,” Mermista said. 

* * *

Mermista began to worry when the spotting started becoming more consistent. She was on a video call with Dr. Ostrea in her office as Sea Hawk packed their things for the trip. She’d go over everything he packed and make sure he didn’t forget anything (or bring anything ridiculous, like the last time when he packed seventeen pairs of socks for her but forgot both of their toothbrushes) later. 

“Can you estimate how much blood you’re losing?” The doctor asked. 

“Still just a little bit, but before it was like a little bit in the morning. Now every time I go to the bathroom—which is a lot because I have to drink so much water as it is, and I’m trying to drink even more now—there’s blood.” Mermista was working herself up to the point of rambling. 

“Do you want to come in for another ultrasound and some tests tomorrow?” The doctor asked. 

Mermista shook her head. “We’re leaving tonight.” 

“Let me give you the number to the obstetrician in Bright Moon. We code all of our files into the same system, so she can access your charts and records there. If you start bleeding any more while you’re in Bright Moon, give her a call.” 

“Thanks, that makes me feel a little better,” Mermista said. She hadn’t told Sea Hawk about the bleeding—he tended to multiply her anxious feelings, rather than alleviate them, when it came to things like this. 

She wrapped up the rest of her work—signing off on a few permits, approving the final plans for upgrades on the docks in SeaWorthy, finalizing a few supply and material orders. Things were finally slowing down for her, and her once mountain-sized pile of paperwork was often just a few inches tall on a day-to-day basis. After she pressed her wax seal on the last envelope, she handed the stuff that needed to be mailed out to her butler, then headed off to find Sea Hawk. 

He wasn’t in the room yet—was he still working?

She made her way outside and down to the docks where he spent most of his days. After the last time he’d managed to strand himself on an island out of boredom, Mermista appointed him as the Harbor Master. Back then they didn’t have much of a port for him to look over, but he helped design one of the most efficient and beautiful ports Mermista had ever laid eyes on. 

Sea Hawk noticed her before she saw him, hauling himself over the side of the tugboat he was inspecting and landing tactfully on his feet in front of her. “Hello, my loves!” He greeted cheerfully.

Mermista stumbled backwards at his sudden appearance. “You motherfucker!” She hissed. 

“Heh, I am now, aren’t I?” Sea Hawk chuckled, gently placing his hand on her stomach as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. 

Mermista groaned. “Why are you like this? I thought you were off today.” 

“I was! But I got bored, and you kicked me out of your office, so…”

“To  _ pack,”  _ Mermista reminded him. 

Sea Hawk waved his hand in the air confidently. “Already done, dearest.” 

Mermista cocked an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “You packed enough clothes and toiletries for both of us for seven days?” 

Sea Hawk linked an arm through hers. “Yes, my darling. And I left them in the guest bedroom for you to double-check,” he assured her as he steered her back towards the castle. 

“The… guest bedroom?” Mermista asked, making sure she heard correctly.

“Mhmm,” Sea Hawk said. 

“Why?”

“Isn’t that where you always check our luggage?”

“I’ve literally never checked our luggage there, babe,” Mermista said. 

“Hmm, must be my old age getting to me,” Sea Hawk grinned. 

“Oh shut up, you’re not old,” Mermista said, bumping him with her hip before moving her arm so she was holding his hand instead. 

Back in the castle, they headed to the guest bedroom adjacent to their own bedroom. Sea Hawk opened the door and Mermista gasped. 

All of the furniture had been cleared out, leaving the room fairly bare except for a gorgeous antique wooden rocking chair with a teddy bear wearing a sailor’s uniform perched on the seat. 

“Babe…” she sighed as the tears rolled down her face. “It’s beautiful.”

“It was my mom’s,” Sea Hawk said proudly, leading her towards the chair. “I know she’d love knowing we were putting it to good use. And that was my first teddy!” 

“How did you sneak this in here?!” Mermista asked, picking up the bear and hugging it. “And get all of the furniture out!”

“Well, you’ve been working a lot, and I kind of just arranged for it to be taken out little by little when you were in the office until the room was empty. And I had my sister bring the chair by last week when we were having dinner with my dad.” 

Mermista wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him. “I love you so much, Sebastian.”

“And I love you so much, my sweet Mermista.”


	5. onwards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW // Mention of Bleeding, Blood Mention, Miscarriage

The first few days in Bright Moon were business as usual. The newest parents, Catra and Adora, looked exhausted despite assuring everyone that things with the twins had finally calmed down about two weeks ago. Little Angello was crawling now, and spent most of the Alliance meetings being passed between adults at his leisure. 

During this particular meeting, Angello had decided to take a nap while cuddled up to Mermista’s chest. It was adorable, and Sea Hawk kept giving her these sappy looks. But the only thing Mermista could focus on were the cramps in her stomach, and not reacting outwardly to them. She didn’t want to wake Angello, and she definitely didn’t want to alert anyone else to them. 

That morning, she woke up relieved to see she hadn’t bled at all the night before. Everyone was in good spirits. Spinerella and Netossa arrived during breakfast and their four-year-old, Gale, asked everyone to be very quiet because she had something important to say. She then announced to the room that she was going to be a big sister. Everyone who wasn’t pregnant or breastfeeding celebrated with mimosas, and Sea Hawk subtly drank both of theirs without anybody noticing. 

But now there were these cramps, which had started just after the meeting had, and seemed to be getting worse. She wasn’t sure if they were something to worry about because she’d had cramps periodically over the last two months. But had they ever been this bad?

Mermista was well practiced at hiding pain, both physical and emotional. Her dad had instilled that in her from a young age: don’t show signs of weakness. 

Mermista hadn’t cried at her mother’s funeral, but she did cry in Sea Hawk’s arms that night. She was fourteen when her mom died at the hands of the Horde, and her dad forbade her from having Sea Hawk at the funeral. None of her friends were allowed to come and comfort her. She was so worried Sea Hawk would try and crash it that she didn’t even tell him what happened. 

Of course, everyone knows when a Queen dies. Sea Hawk had only met Mermista’s mom a handful of times, but his heart broke for his Princess when his father broke the news to him, and he made sure that he was there that night for Mermista. He snuck into her bedroom through the balcony and was there for her when she came home that night, overdressed in navy and gold with dark circles under her eyes. She sobbed into his chest until she wasn’t sure she had tears left, and he convinced her to take a shower and change into her pajamas. While she did, he snuck down to the kitchen and stole a few cartons of her favorite ice cream, and they spent most of the night talking in hushed voices about her mom, her fears of fully taking the Pearl’s power, and what the future would hold. 

If there was one thing she always knew she could be with Sea Hawk, it was vulnerable with her emotions. Looking back, she wonders why it took her so long to allow herself to be vulnerable with her heart, especially now as she watched him expertly go over how Phase IV of rebuilding Salineas was going. He’d occasionally turn to her to chime in when he got stuck, but for the most part, he had it down. 

“Though we do miss Catra’s help dearly,” he finished his speech with, winking at the Magicat across the table as he sat back down. She stuck her finger in her mouth and pretended to barf. 

“Sorry, SeaWeed, I have more important things to do now,” Catra said with a shrug, then put her arm around Adora. Micah was watching over the twins, or as he affectionately called his “step-grandbabies” during the meeting. 

“Like Adora?” Mermista couldn’t stop herself from asking, bringing a laugh from around the table and a flush to the couple’s faces. The laughter caused Angello to stir in her arms, stretching out his little hands and yawning. He had a couple of tiny white teeth now, which he showed off with a big grin at Mermista. 

“Bababababa~” he babbled, pulling at the collar of Mermista’s top.

Mermista grinned down at him. “Uh oh, I think someone’s hungry. Are you hungry, sweetie?” She asked, subtly ignoring another cramp. 

“Oh, yeah, I guess it is time for lunch. Be back here in two hours, everyone,” Glimmer said, standing up. She teleported over to Mermista and held her arms out for the baby. “Sorry, Mermista, he thinks every pair of boobs he comes in contact with belong to him.” 

“It’s cool,” Mermista said, handing him over to his mom. He started pulling at her shirt, then, and she teleported them away moments before he exposed her to the entire Alliance. 

Sea Hawk hummed happily next to her. 

“Sea Hawk!” Bow said across the table as everyone began to disperse from the room. “I have a new astral chart I want you to look at, wanna come to the library with me?” 

“I’d love to,” Sea Hawk said. “That cool with you?” He asked Mermista. 

“I don’t care,” Mermista said. “I’m probably going to lay down, I feel kind of tired.” 

Sea Hawk got up from his chair and leaned down to kiss her, then turned to Bow. “Onwards, then! To an astral ADVENTURE!”

Mermista ended up being the last one in the war room, and she doubled over, clutching her arms to her stomach with a groan as soon as the big double doors banged shut. After the cramp subsided, she decided a bath might help. 

On the way up to her room, King Micah called after her in the halls. He ran to her side and threw his cloak around her shoulders. “I don’t know how to say this, Mermista, but you’re bleeding through your pants,” he whispered in her ear. 

“Shit,” Mermista hissed, then dropped to a crouching position as the worst cramp so far took over her. 

“Are you okay?” Micah asked. 

Mermista shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. Micah crouched down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on?” He asked in a soft voice that reminded Mermista so much of her mother. 

Mermista breathed through the cramping. “I’m having pretty bad cramps,” she said through gritted teeth. 

Micah made an affirmative noise. “Glimmer sometimes has rough periods, too,” he offered.

Mermista shook her head again. “It’s not… it’s not… fuck it, I’m pregnant,” she said, finally. Micah wouldn’t tell anyone, she was pretty sure, if she asked him not to. He was a dad, and a granddad now, and a sorcerer, so maybe he could help. “I think something’s wrong.” She looked up at the older man. “I think I need to go to the hospital.” 

Something seemed to click in Micah and his eyes widened. He seemed to nod, then helped Mermista to her feet. “Hold onto my arm,” he instructed as he drew a circle at their feet. A teleportation rune, Mermista vaguely remembered. Her dad wasn’t very good at them, and Glimmer never used them, so she’d only seen them in books before. Mermista sat down in a chair and hugged herself as Micah checked her in. He returned to her side with a visitor sticker on his chest and a hospital bracelet for her, and it wasn’t very long before someone called her name. 

“Do you want me to go in with you, or stay out here?” Micah asked. Mermista looked up at the older man, who had spent a lot of time in Salineas since his return from assumed death. He helped her with a lot of stuff she was sure her dad should have been doing, and she was grateful for that. He and Angella had been close friends with her parents during the old Princess Alliance, and when her dad didn’t show up to her wedding, he walked her down the aisle in his place. She nodded. 

“Thank you,” she said softly as she got up and followed the nurse, who had so many questions as she drew a blood sample from Mermista’s arm. 

“How far along are you?” 

“10 weeks.”

“Do you have an obstetrician?” 

“Back in Salineas, Dr. Ostrea. She gave me the contact information for Dr. Chel, let me see if I have it…”

“No need, Dr. Chel actually happens to be in the hospital today doing a delivery. I’ll call for her. Do you mind providing a urine sample, changing into this, then laying down on the bed until she gets here?” 

The nurse handed Mermista a hospital gown and a pair of scrub pants, and she held them in both hands, staring at them anxiously. 

“Are you the dad?” The nurse asked, nodding at Micah. 

The two of them both shouted “NO!” at the same time, which made the nurse laugh. 

“Okay then, well, let’s give Queen Mermista some privacy,” the nurse said, nudging Micah out of the room. 

Mermista nearly choked in the tiny restroom when she saw how much blood was in her pants when she pulled them off. She used her hydrokinesis to wash herself off before she filled the cup and put on the gown. She rinsed out all the blood she could from her underwear and pants, then found a plastic bag for her soiled clothes. She folded Micah’s cloak up in the chair at the corner of the room, then let him come back in. 

“Here, lay down,” Micah said, pushing a button that lowered the bed to a height much easier for Mermista to climb into, then adjusted it so she could sit up. He walked over to the chair, moving his cloak to the arm of it, just before Mermista groaned and curled up on her side as another wave of pain rushed over her. “Want me to do a numbing spell?” He offered. 

“Will it hurt the baby?” Mermista asked in a soft voice.

“No, it won’t.”

“Okay.” The spell worked almost immediately, and Mermista was so grateful to finally have some relief. After a moment, she laughed. “You know, I sprained my ankle when I was a kid, running down the beach back home. My dad told me to suck it up and learn from it. I didn’t even know there were pain-blocking runes until recently.”

“Your dad is an asshole,” Micah responded dryly. “To be fair, though, he was never a great sorcerer outside of battle magic. He probably couldn’t perform a healing rune.” 

Mermista smiled. If there was any man who hated her dad more than Sea Hawk, it was Micah. At her wedding, he told her the only reason he didn’t regret introducing her parents was because she came out of it. “Yeah, he is.”

“Does Sea Hawk know about the pregnancy?” 

Mermista nodded, placing her hand on her stomach. “Yeah, we’ve been trying… well, pretty much since Angello was born.” 

“I remember your mom had a hard time getting pregnant with you,” Micah said. 

Mermista swallowed, eyes starting to water as she considered the worst. “She had a miscarriage before me,” she stated. Micah nodded. “We didn’t tell anyone yet, in case… Do you think…” she couldn’t finish her sentence. 

“I don’t know, darling,” Micah said solemnly. “I wish I could tell you. I will say, Dr. Chel delivered Angello and she’s wonderful, so you’re in good hands.” 

Dr. Chel walked into the room a few moments later, wearing surgical scrubs with her hair in a ponytail. She was much younger then Dr. Ostrea, but she walked with confidence. “Micah!” She exclaimed excitedly as she saw the former King. 

“Chel, wonderful to see you again,” he greeted her with a smile. 

“And you must be Queen Mermista, it’s an honor to meet you, your majesty,” the doctor said brightly as she set the papers she held in her hands down at the computer. “I understand you’re in the first trimester of pregnancy and experiencing bleeding and cramping today?” 

Mermista nodded. “I have been spotting pretty much constantly the last four or five days, but the cramping wasn’t bad until about three hours ago.”

“When was your last ultrasound?” She was pulling up Mermista’s file on the computer now. 

“8 weeks, so just under 2 weeks ago,” Mermista said. 

“I’m still waiting on the results from your blood test and urine analysis, and I need to get an ultrasound machine in here for you. I’ll be right back, sound good?”

* * *

“What do you mean, nobody’s seen her?” Sea Hawk shouted at the head guard in a panic. When Mermista wasn’t in their room, he and Bow employed the other Princesses to search the castle and gardens for her. Sea Hawk looked in all of her favorite places, and she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She’d left her tracker pad in the bedroom, untouched. They began to question guards and staff members. 

“Exactly that,” Head Guard Juliet drawled, annoyed. “We haven’t seen her.” 

“You know who else we haven’t seen?” Bow asked, putting a hand on Sea Hawk’s shoulder. “King Micah. Do you think they went somewhere together?” 

“Without telling anyone?” Glimmer asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Doesn’t really sound like either of them.” 

Sea Hawk was anxiously running his hands through his hair, combing his mind for anything Mermista had done or said that day that might indicate where she would have gone. She said she felt great that morning, but tired when they were leaving the meeting, and… 

Micah suddenly appeared in the middle of the room via teleportation. He looked forlorn as he approached Sea Hawk, whose shoulders dropped as soon as he saw the hospital sticker on Micah’s chest and realized what must be going on. 

“Mermista--” he choked, and Micah nodded. 

“She needs you right now.” 

“What’s going on, dad?” Glimmer asked, rushing to their sides with Bow tailing her. The other Princesses in the room all started talking and asking questions at once, and Micah put up his hand. 

“I can explain later, right now Mermista needs Sea Hawk.” He took hold of Sea Hawk’s arm and drew a rune on the ground below them. Sea Hawk didn’t even react to the teleport, just stumbling numbly behind Micah as he led him to the hospital and to the room where Mermista was. “Go in, I’ll give you some privacy.” 

Sea Hawk pushed his hair back and squared his shoulders, putting on a brave face before he walked into the room. It didn’t matter, Mermista was curled up on the bed in a fetal position, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. 

“Misty,” Sea Hawk whispered, sitting down on the bed. The ultrasound machine was still next to the bed, the screen blank. Mermista didn’t move. 

“I started bleeding again, and cramping, and Micah took me here and the doctor… She said… she said that there wasn’t a heartbeat anymore,” Mermista choked out. Sea Hawk’s heart dropped onto the floor, and he climbed into the bed with her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when she told you,” Sea Hawk said. Mermista turned to bury her face in his chest.

“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. 

“Dearest, you have nothing to be sorry about, this isn’t your fault.” Sea Hawk stroked her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head. They were both silent, holding each other, until the doctor came back into the room. Mermista moved to sit up first, sniffling, and Sea Hawk followed, letting her lean into him as he held her in one arm. 

“Can you tell us what happened?” Sea Hawk asked after a moment. 

“When it’s this early in the pregnancy, it’s really difficult to say what caused it. Usually, though, it’s an irregularity that occurs when the genes combine, and makes it so that development cannot continue normally. Since this was your first pregnancy, the risk of having another miscarriage like this is rather small.” 

Mermista was thankful to have Sea Hawk there, asking the questions, because she didn’t think she could open her mouth without sobbing again. Time passed by, but her vision was blurry and everything sounded far away. A surgery was scheduled for the next morning. 

They vacated the room together, Mermista tucked under Sea Hawk’s arm. Micah stood up from where he sat in the hallway, and gave the both of them a hug. Sea Hawk asked if he could teleport them directly to their room so Mermista didn’t have to see anybody. Sea Hawk would go down and let everyone know what was going on -- they’d decided to say she was experiencing appendicitis -- after making sure Mermista was settled. 


	6. breathe

Their next miscarriage came much earlier, at five weeks, but still hurt just as bad. Mermista would go from being totally numb to a puddle of tears in an instant. She did her best to keep it together on the outside, attending all of her meetings and royal events. She’d wear a brave face and put her duty before herself as she had always done. 

Alone in their bed, Sea Hawk would hold her when she woke him up crying in the middle of the night. He spent more evenings than he’d like to admit at the bars in SeaWorthy when Mermista would push him away, telling him she needed some time alone. He’d catch up with old friends over pints or nurse something heavier as he stewed in his misery on his own. 

Sea Hawk did sit in on a few therapy sessions with Dr. Melody Hamish, and they did seem to make things easier on both of them. Speaking openly about everything with a third party was a relief, and receiving empathy from Melody, rather than pity, made it so much easier for Mermista to really say how she’d been feeling. 

Mermista hugged a pillow to herself and kept her gaze on the floor as she poured her heart out. She finished, looking at Sea Hawk then, “And I hate that I can’t do this for us, that my body isn’t enough and that it’s caused all of this pain for you. I’m so sorry.”

Sea Hawk’s heart ached, seeing his dear Mermista in so much pain, but it absolutely killed him to see her blame herself for everything on top of it. “Dearest, you have nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault.” He held out his arms and she abandoned the pillow to curl up into him on the couch. “You are amazing, and wonderful, and strong, my darling. There is nothing we could do but hope for the best.”

“Sea Hawk is right, Mermista,” Melody said. “And I think you’re making it harder on yourself by keeping this all inside like a shameful secret. When you had that pinched nerve near your spine after the war and had to have surgery so you could move for longer than twenty minutes without pain, you didn’t hide it or beat yourself up for it. You let your body heal and do what it needed to do so you could get better.”

“I don’t see how this is even relatively similar to that,” Mermista scoffed. “They keep saying there’s nothing wrong with me. There’s nothing I can do to fix this.” She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “Also, for the record--if that pinched nerve wasn’t so painful, none of y’all would have known I had it.” Sea Hawk rubbed his hand up and down her arm. 

“Early miscarriages like yours are nearly always caused by genetic irregularities, which stem from complications during conception when your DNA joins together and an error occurs. It’s not a consequence of anything either of you are doing. It’s a very delicate and complicated process, and things go wrong even when you’re doing everything right,” Melody said. “Mermista, you are one of the strongest people I know. And you’ve got a husband and friends by your side every step of the way, cheering you on. You just need to open yourself up to them and utilize their love instead of turning inwards and hurting yourself.” 

* * *

There was already a memorial garden on the castle grounds, erected after Mermista’s mother passed away. A statue of the former Queen, standing tall and proud, sat in the center of the garden with a bench in front of it. The garden was mostly untouched by the Horde, though a lot of it had to be replanted. 

Sea Hawk thought of planting trees in the babies’ memories, and Mermista wanted to do it with just the two of them. After they stepped back and admired their work, Mermista’s attention drifted to the statue. 

“Stars, I wish she was still here,” she said, almost too soft to hear. She thought she might cry, but honestly didn’t think she had any tears left.

“Me, too,” Sea Hawk said as he squeezed her into his side. 

“There’s just so many things I wish I could ask her.” Mermista moved so her head rested on Sea Hawk’s shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her. They swayed together in silence. 

A strong gust of wind shot through the garden, ruffling Mermista’s hair and setting off the previously silent wind chimes. In the summertime, Salineas rarely experienced strong winds like this on land. Mermista pulled back to look up at Sea Hawk, who grinned down at her. Mermista laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks. 

“She used to ruffle my hair like that all the time when I was a kid,” Mermista said. 

“I remember how much you hated it,” Sea Hawk teased her, stroking the ends of her hair. 

“I think this was her telling us everything is going to be alright.” Mermista raised herself up on her toes to kiss Sea Hawk. 

The third miscarriage preceeded a visit to Bright Moon. Sea Hawk assured her that they didn’t have to go unless she felt up to it, but if Mermista was being honest? She kind of missed her friends. Keeping the miscarriages and all the pain that came with them between the two of them made talking to their friends hard. Even if that wasn’t the case, everyone was so busy these days. Angello was nearly two and the twins were walking now. Spinnerella and Netossa had their son, Jet, seven months ago. Perfuma and Scorpia, and Entrapta and Hordak were the only pairs who didn’t seem to be interested in having kids. Frosta hadn’t even seemed interested in having a partner, kids were not even an afterthought. 

Micah asked how they were doing shortly after they arrived, waiting until they were alone to do so. Mermista shrugged. She had felt numb and apathetic all day. “We’re hanging in there,” Sea Hawk said, losing the tone he had greeted their friends with earlier. “Taking it day by day.” 

“Have you tried again?” Micah asked. 

Mermista nodded. “Yep. We lost our third two weeks ago.” She looked up at the ceiling, willing herself not to tear up as Micah wrapped her in a hug that she only half returned. 

“Have you thought about going to Mystacor and seeing a specialist?” he asked when he pulled back.

“Not much, honestly,” Mermista said. “We thought it might be something physical that could have happened during the war, or when I was chipped, but they couldn’t find anything physically wrong with me.

“Her doctor says that all of her tests and scans are coming back completely normal,” Sea Hawk added, rubbing his hand on the nape of his neck. “She even did some tests on me that also came back fine.”

“It seems like our problem is that we have shit luck,” Mermista said, crossing her arms with a sigh. She had to admit it was kind of nice talking to someone else about it -- Micah genuinely cared about their situation. He even stopped by Salineas after they went home to check up on them periodically, but hadn’t been in a while. 

Micah was staring off into space, as he did often when he got lost in thought, a pensive expression on his face. “If I looked into it and thought it might help, would you consider it?” He asked finally. 

“Sure,” Mermista said, stifling a yawn. “Not like we’re having tons of options thrown at us or anything.” 

“Sorry to hold you up!” Micah apologized. “I’m sure you are both exhausted.” Mermista waived her hand at him. 

“Don’t worry about it, thanks for asking, Micah. It means a lot to me.” 

“To both of us,” Sea Hawk agreed. They said their goodbyes to Micah and walked to their usual room, hand in hand. 

“You okay?” Sea Hawk asked once the door was shut behind him and he’d dropped their bags next to the dresser. They’d only be there for a couple of days, so there wasn’t a point in unpacking this time. 

“Yeah,” Mermista said. “And I mean it. You?”

“I am. That was easier than I expected, in all honesty.” They’d made a habit of checking in with each other a few times a day. Mermista still said she was fine when she wasn’t sometimes, but she was getting better. Sea Hawk still got irritable sometimes when Mermista  _ didn’t _ want to talk when she was clearly upset, but he was doing better at letting it go. 

Mermista hummed as she took a fistful of his shirt, pressing a kiss to his lips before walking backwards, pulling him towards the bed. This trip to Bright Moon wouldn’t be productive--she was back on a fertility blocker for the next six weeks, because they had to wait two months after a miscarriage to try again--but that couldn’t stop them from enjoying each other. If there was one thing this situation hadn’t changed, it was their sex life. 

* * *

The last day of the trip, Glimmer planned a dinner. It was the first meeting in a while where nobody was absent, and they said they had a big announcement to make. Towards the end of dinner, Glimmer called for everyone’s attention. Bow stood up with her, and smiled lovingly at his wife. Mermista suddenly felt nauseous as she watched him wrap an arm around her waist. 

“I’m so glad to have everyone here today, because Bow and I have something we want to share with all of you…”

_ Pleasedon’tsayitPleasedon’tsayitPleasedon’tsayit— _

“We’re having another baby!” The couple announced together. 

Mermista’s heart sank. It wasn’t fair. Bow and Glimmer already had one beautiful son, and here they were having another baby. She gripped the arms of the chair so hard that her knuckles paled, and she felt the wood bend under the pressure. 

Sea Hawk noticed the water in the pitcher that sat in the center of the table start to ripple, and immediately turned to place his hand on Mermista’s arm. 

Her grip released immediately, the touch bringing her back to the present. She released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, shaking her head, then grabbed Sea Hawk’s hand and intertwined her fingers with his. 

Fortunately, everyone at the table was too focused on Glimmer and Bow to see her near meltdown. 

Of course it was fair. Glimmer and Bow were wonderful people, amazing rulers and loving parents. They deserved this. It wasn’t like they knew about the miscarriages. They weren’t rubbing this in their faces, they just wanted to share their happiness with their friends and family. 

After dinner was over, everybody was giving Glimmer and Bow their final congratulations and saying goodbye. Sea Hawk pulled Bow into a tight hug, clapping him on the back. “I’m so happy for you, my dearest friend. I can’t wait to meet the little bundle of joy.”

“Yeah, guys, congrats,” Mermista said, standing back. “What made you decide to have another one?” 

“In all honesty, we wanted to wait for Angello to be out of diapers, but we kind of… forgot to do a protection spell a couple of times and…” Glimmer grinned, placing her hand lovingly on her stomach. Mermista regretted asking, but was distracted by someone pulling on her skirt. 

“Up, Misda, up!” Angello commanded, and how could Mermista say no to the little prince? She propped him up on her hip and he planted a big wet kiss on her cheek. 

“Wow, aren’t you a little flirt?” Mermista asked with a laugh. Angello grinned at her and put his arms around her neck. 

“Hey, little man, be careful -- she’s mine,” Sea Hawk said, wrapping an arm around Mermista’s waist. 

“Don’t be jealous,” Mermista teased him, planting a kiss on Sea Hawk’s cheek. 

“Ugh, can you two  _ puh-lease _ have kids already?” Glimmer whined, taking Angello from Mermista when he reached out to her. “We all know your kids are gonna be  _ hot _ , and I feel like you’ve just been ‘thinking about it’ for _ ever. _ ”

“Glimmer, don’t be rude,” Micah scolded the Queen. “That’s none of your business.” 

“What?” Glimmer protested. “I’m just saying!”

Mermista wrapped her arms around her waist, looking around the room. Everyone else had left. She sighed. “It’s okay. We’ve... been trying. I’ve had a couple of miscarriages,” she admitted. 

Glimmer’s face crumbled. “Oh, Mermista, I’m…”

Mermista shook her head. “Please don’t say you’re sorry. It’s just a thing we’re dealing with. But that’s actually what happened when I had to go to the hospital last time we were here. Sorry for lying to you about it.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Bow asked, looking at Sea Hawk with tearful eyes. 

“I was feeling like a failure, and I didn’t want to deal with everyone talking about it and feeling sorry for us,” Mermista said. “So, like, don’t.” 

“I was respecting Mermista’s decision to keep it between us,” Sea Hawk said, squeezing Mermista’s hand. 

“Is there anything we can do to… help? Or make things easier for you?” Glimmer asked, looking frazzled now. 

“Nah, you’re good, Glim. I mean it. Just like… I don’t know, keep it between us. I’ll tell the others when I’m ready,” Mermista said. 

“Thank you for telling us,” Bow said softly. He approached Mermista and she gave him the okay to hug her, his hug was warm and comforting. He hugged Sea Hawk and Mermista heard him tell Sea Hawk not to hesitate if they needed anything or he needed someone to talk to.

“Thanks, buddy,” Sea Hawk said with a smile. 

Glimmer looked at Mermista awkwardly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other as she repositioned Angello on her hip. Mermista rolled her eyes. “Come here,” she said, opening her arms. 

Glimmer graciously accepted the hug, squeezing Mermista with her free arm before recoiling. “Sorry, sore boobs,” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Oh, fuck, yeah, I’m not looking forward to that,” Mermista said. 

“Me either,” Sea Hawk added, breaking the tension as Mermista smacked his chest, causing everyone left in the room to laugh. 

Back on the ship and en route home, Mermista lounged on the deck reading a book as Sea Hawk steered the ship. Once they were in a fairly open part of the ocean, he steadied the wheel and joined Mermista at her side. 

“It feels like a weight off my shoulders, thank you,” he said as he sat down next to her, crossing his legs. Mermista didn’t need to ask what he was talking about. She closed her book and moved so that her head was in his lap. One of his hands found its way into her hair, and she leaned into it. 

“Me, too,” she replied. “I don’t know if I’ll really confide in Glimmer a lot. She’s great, but not really the best at… these kinds of things. But I know you’re hurting a lot, too, and it was selfish of me to not let you talk to your best friend about it.” 

“You did what you thought was best for both of us,” Sea Hawk said simply as he gently massaged her scalp with his fingertips. “I’m … not upset that I didn’t have to break it to him a different way, in all honesty. I think you knew exactly what we needed until now, dearest.”

“Just… next time, let me know you need something instead of sneaking off to SeaWorthy and causing chaos, okay?”

Sea Hawk swallowed harshly. “You got an insurance bill, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Kind of selfish of you to be burning ships without me,” Mermista teased him. 


	7. worth fighting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flash back and takes place in S5, E2: Launch and S5, E7: Perils of Peekablue as well as the time Mermista was chipped. 
> 
> Also, I’m sorry.
> 
> CW // implied miscarriage, blood mention

“What do we do?” Scorpia asked as she ducked behind the rock with the rest of the Princesses, and Mermista felt all eyes on her. Except for Entrapta’s, which were still glued to her tracker pad. 

_Fuck if I know!_ Mermista thought as her eyes began to brim with tears. Why was she suddenly so emotional again!? Everything was going to hell. As if being in the desert while trying to keep what was left of the Princess Alliance on task under her inexperienced leadership wasn’t bad enough, it was like her own body had been working against her, too. She couldn’t handle all of these emotions right now, not in the middle of a mission. She thought she’d been doing an okay job keeping her cool, but it was beginning to be way too much. 

“I don’t know! This plan was obviously doomed from the start! I’m not Adora! Why did I think I could be the leader!?” Mermista exclaimed, exasperated. Entrapta’s apparent lack of awareness had been grinding on her all night and it was beginning to become way too much, and suddenly, she snapped. Her words caused a chain reaction, and suddenly Perfuma and Frosta were yelling at the Princess of Dryl, too. 

“I’m not good at people. But I am good at tech. I thought maybe if I could use tech to help you, you’d like me,” Entrapta said, looking forlorn. 

That felt… bad. Mermista began to feel a wave of nausea overcome her as her mind flashed back to when she and Sea Hawk were younger, watching him navigate relationships with his other friends and even the stuff she had put him through herself. How obsessed he had always been with being liked by people, how hard he’d fight to be included. Mermista didn’t typically run into that problem—if someone didn’t like her, well, whatever. They either had to deal with her regardless due to her role in Salineas or the Alliance, or they could leave. She never really needed to change to appease anyone. 

The difference between Sea Hawk and Entrapta was that Sea Hawk knew her—sometimes, she thought, better than herself. He read between the lines, he knew when he’d gone too far and how to navigate those waters with her. Entrapta, well, she didn’t. And Mermista really didn’t know how to handle that in combination with someone who always went their own way. 

Which Entrapta was doing right now. 

“Entrapta, no!” Mermista protested as she threw herself over the cliff to chase after the techmaster. The Princess’ long, magical lavender hair was the only thing Mermista could manage to grab onto, but that didn’t seem to phase her at all as she continued to struggle to get closer to the spire. Figures. Mermista may as well have tried to grab her leg, she wasn’t even sure Entrapta could _feel_ her hair, given she had next to no reaction as she pulled in the opposite direction. Entrapta protested even as the bot army and the drones began to descend upon them. And then, releasing her grip on Entrapta’s magical hair: “You’re still trying to get the signal?”

Entrapta looked back at her with a pained expression. “Of course. Glimmer needs us.”

It was such a Sea Hawk thing to do, throwing herself into danger for the sake of others. And suddenly, it all seemed to click together.

“Okay, Geek Princess. Get that signal. We’ll cover you.” Mermista called commands to the other Princesses as they came to her side. 

The rest of the day seemed like a blur of fighting. As soon as Entrapta was able to get the signal, they had to rush to warn Adora and Bow that they needed to get to the ship as soon as possible, or they wouldn’t be leaving Etheria at all. Then one final battle to cause a distraction while the ship got away, and finally, finally they were able to retreat back to camp. 

A few days ago, Sea Hawk had been sent on a trip with a few other non-magical rebels to get more supplies for the encampment. It had only been a few days since he’d left, but Mermista really missed him. After dinner with the Alliance, she bathed and returned to their empty shared tent. He didn’t bring much with him when he left, so she changed into one of his shirts to sleep in. His scent still clung to it, and it was comforting enough to lull her to sleep. 

Mermista woke up before anyone else to more waves of nausea and a pounding headache. She considered breakfast, but that made the nausea worse and had her scrambling outside of her tent to throw up. As she used her hydrokinesis to wash it away, a thought came to her. 

How long had it been since she’d had her fertility blocker recast? 

Mermista did the math in her head, then cursed under her breath. It was a few months before the Horde overtook Salineas, and that was almost a year ago now. She couldn’t remember when her last period stopped, a blessing in disguise because of how annoying that was to deal with in their current situation. But this… this was worse than that. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. This couldn’t be happening right now. 

After changing into her regular clothes, Mermista slipped away from the camp without anyone noticing and jumped into the nearby river to swim to the closest free village. A pregnancy test purchased from a very judgemental shopkeeper confirmed the worst possible thing that could be happening right now--she was, in fact, pregnant. 

She walked out of the shop and through the village in a state of shock. It took twice as long for her to walk back to the camp versus swimming, but Mermista used the time to contemplate how she could be so irresponsible. They were in the middle of a war, and she was currently at the head of it in Adora’s absence. She rubbed her temples anxiously. It wasn’t like she could just go to the doctor or Mystacor right now to confirm anything, or to make sure she was doing what she needed to do to make sure she and the baby were okay. 

And what was Sea Hawk going to say? Sure, things had been pretty good between them recently, but he’d also never been tied down in his life. A baby was an anchor, and it’d mean he couldn’t just come and go at his leisure anymore. 

Mermista scoffed, thinking back to her time in the portal. How, if things were normal, if there was no Horde, if she hadn’t grown up in this war, she’d probably be married with kids already. Her mom had gotten married at seventeen and had her at nineteen. Mermista was twenty-two now, and had decided she didn’t _want_ to bring kids into this world. Not the way things were two years ago, and definitely not the state it was in today. With her dad fucking off to wherever the hell he went, the only Princess with a parent left was Glimmer, now, and Micah had basically come back from the dead. She didn’t want to bring a new life into this world just for it to suffer the same fate. 

Not that she had much of a choice in the matter now, but that was the decision she’d made before. 

Everyone seemed to be up and bustling around the camp, busy enough that they didn’t notice her absence, and she realized that Perfuma and Scorpia were sorting through supplies and handing out rations. She approached them to see if they needed any help. 

“We’re okay, thank you!” Perfuma said. “I think Sea Hawk went to your tent, though!” 

Mermista’s face flushed. Stars, was it really that obvious? Like yeah, they were sharing a tent, but, so were a lot of people! “Oh. Cool, I guess,” she said after a moment in her usual deadpan, then turned to head in their tent’s direction. She just had to rip off the bandaid. 

Sea Hawk was putting his things away when she ducked under the tent’s door. 

“Hello, dearest!” He smiles when he sees her, because he _always does,_ and it makes her chest feel funny as she secured the tent door for privacy. 

“Hey,” Mermista replied as she melted into his arms, relief flooding over her even though she was kind of terrified to break the news to him. 

“Did you miss me?” Sea Hawk asked as she finally pulled away. He was grinning, causing his lovely dark eyes to crinkle at the edges.

“You were gone? I didn’t notice,” Mermista snarked. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said. 

“Okay! But me first? I have a surprise for you!”

“Oh? Uh, sure,” Mermista said. She wasn’t expecting that, but she gasped when he pulled out the package of her literal favorite snack in all of Etheria. “No freaking way! Kelp chips? Where did you find these?” 

“Smuggler’s secret,” Sea Hawk winked, and she rolled her eyes before thanking him with a kiss. Even now, after all this time, under these circumstances, he still managed to come back from a trip with some kind of treasure for her.

Of course she’d missed him. Throughout everything that had happened, Sea Hawk had always been the one constant. Ever since the capture of Salineas, they’d spent nearly every day and night together. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but it had been so much better than she could have ever imagined. Given the stakes of their current reality, it wasn’t all fun and games and roleplaying and goofing off like it had been back in Salineas. But it had revealed a more serious side of Sea Hawk, and honestly? Serious looked really good on him, when it showed up. 

And with half the camp gone off on a mission, the other half busy sorting through rations and supplies, well, Mermista felt like she could get away with showing Sea Hawk how much she’d missed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the package was put to the side as she pulled him to the bed they’d been sharing, intensifying the kiss and tangling her hands in his hair. Clothes were tossed aside, and Mermista was so caught up in reuniting with Sea Hawk (and trying to keep him somewhat quiet during) that she’d nearly forgotten what it was she needed to tell him. 

It came back to her as she rested her head on his bare chest, the sound of his heartbeat and his breathing now matching pace with her own, legs tangled up in his as he ran his hand up and down her side gently and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

Sea Hawk looked so peaceful and at ease when she looked up at him, his eyes were closed and he had a lazy, satisfied smile on his lips. He just got back. Maybe she should let him relax a little. She was sure his week had been just as long as hers was, so she opted to snuggle back into him, pulling the blanket up to her chin. 

They woke up to the sound of Swift Wind trotting around the encampment, announcing that an emergency meeting needed to be held.

“We can never just, like, relax for one day,” Mermista sighed as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Sea Hawk followed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his lips to her still bare shoulder. 

“Things are different now, though, my dearest. I know it seems worse than it has ever been, but I have a feeling we’re nearing the end of this war,” Sea Hawk said thoughtfully, his voice still husky and rough from sleep. 

Mermista got up, grabbing their clothes from the floor and handing Sea Hawk’s over to him before she began to dress herself. “Yeah but say that we do win, when it’s over, we have to take back Salienas. We will have to rescue our people and rebuild so they have a home to return to. We have to divvy out sentences for criminals. There’s just…” she placed her hand on her mostly unchanged stomach with her back still to him. “No time for this.” 

Sea Hawk was pulling his boots on now. “You’re right, but there’s no point in fighting at all if we don’t make things worth fighting for, dearest.” 

Mermista’s eyes widened. Did he already know somehow?

“Like good friends and loving relationships,” he added as he threw on his jacket. 

Oh.

“I guess,” Mermista sighed as she slipped her own boots on, grabbing her hair brush and running it through her hair before pulling it into a ponytail so she looked at least partially presentable. “Alright, let’s do this.”

The Rebellion was in worse shape than ever since Adora’s departure. Micah and his squad returned with news of a civilian village under some sort of horde mind control that attacked them. Everyone pitched in ideas for what to do next, ultimately deciding that the most vital thing was to get a message to Adora and the others. 

But how? 

Sea Hawk sidelined Mermista while everyone argued around them. “Say, have you heard from your friend Prince Peekablue in a while?” 

Mermista’s eyes widened. “No, have you?” she asked cautiously.

Did Sea Hawk run into him? Did—did Peekablue have a sighting of her pregnancy and mention it to Sea Hawk? 

“No, but I was thinking… don’t you think he could find out where Adora and the others are? Since his farsight allows him to see to the edges of the universe?” 

Mermista let out a sigh of relief. Okay, okay, she was just being paranoid. “I didn’t think of that,” she admitted. Probably because she was so distracted by her own problems. “Let’s see what the others think?” Sea Hawk nodded and called for everyone’s attention. 

Things happened so fast after, that Mermista’s news was put on a back burner. First they needed to locate Peekablue, who had gone into hiding since long before Salineas fell. Once they’d located him, plans were made to infiltrate the underwater grotto he had been spotted at. Sea Hawk was sent off to scout for information on the criminal den, and by the time Mermista realized what had happened, a week had passed. 

She was going to tell him, she thought as she was making excuses as to why she was throwing up while everyone else was eating breakfast. After this mission, she told herself when they were shopping for disguises and she didn’t let him in the fitting room with her because she swore her stomach was looking rounder than usual. There was too much going on right now, she didn’t want to add another burden to his plate. 

The night before, as he was holding her and comforting her while she worried about what would happen next, what would become of the rebellion if they failed. If she failed, as their current appointed leader. She couldn’t help but admit she was more worried about what happened to Sea Hawk than anyone else. If something happened to him… like he’d said, what would she really be fighting for?

And now, the stakes were even higher. 

Until the next day, when Mermista was guarding the door while Scorpia and the others interrogated Double Trouble about the whereabouts of Prince Peekablue. Sea Hawk wanted to stay by her side, but she insisted he go in case the others needed backup. 

Then, a team of prime-controlled civilians jumped her. She managed to fight them off for a short time, but a sharp, stinging feeling on the back of her neck came suddenly over her. Mermista went limp—she no longer had control over her body. 

And then everything turned green. 

“——-mista? What are——”

“Merm——- NO—!”

Mermista screamed and sobbed inside of her own head, begging herself to stop as she heard a voice that wasn’t her own command her body to do unspeakable things to her friends. 

It was all she could do to shield herself from Scorpia’s electrical blast as she managed what Mermista couldn’t—protecting their friends. 

_Please—no—body—_ **_mine_ ** _—_

Mermista took back control and dropped the water shield, only to be thrown into the wall by Scorpia’s electric blast as she was overwhelmed by the patrons of the grotto. Mermista’s nerves were set on fire as she fell limp into the electrically charged water. 

No—no, the baby—

And then everything went green again. 

Months went by, and it all felt like a dream, like walking through a nightmare. 

Mermista seemed to become conscious just frequently enough to confirm the horrors she’d imagined. 

There was so much blood on her hands, was it running down her legs? Two clones confused as to what was happening to her. Now they were in Salineas.

She was given enough autonomy to put herself back together, as Prime needed her and he didn’t have time for weakness. 

Her citizens and people she’d freed in the past, happy to see her momentarily before running and screaming in confused terror as she attacked them. 

Sometimes she would see Scorpia at her side, and sometimes she was completely alone.

She’d lost something, but her thoughts and memories seemed to be glazing over as Prime’s voice began to sound like her own. 

She would catch her reflection and the person staring back at her didn’t look how she had expected. But that was what she’d always looked like, wasn’t it? 

Why did she feel like something was missing? 


	8. vows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a soft palette cleanser was demanded of me after last chapter, so we get two today!  
> don't forget to read the last one if you didn't!

Mermista sank into hot bath water with a satisfied sigh, stretching her tail out and over the edge as she settled at the bottom of the tub on her stomach, resting her head on crossed arms. It had been a long few weeks of trade agreements and bidding on trade routes from the many different established and up and coming shipping companies, and it was finally, finally over. 

Sea Hawk had graciously offered to stay and finalize everything so she could slip away and take some time for herself. Stars, she loved him so much. 

Once things between them had taken a more serious turn after the war, Mermista was pretty positive he wouldn’t turn on his heel and run away but still not sure how he’d take to ruling by her side. Sure, he’d listen to her bitch and complain about meetings and her duties for, like, ever, but it was different actually being there. In all honesty, she thought that would be the thing that actually scared him off.

But something changed in Sea Hawk when the war ended. He came out a different man. He was less reckless, considered his actions a little more, and he was fiercely protective of her. The once charming but arrogant lost boy grew into a confident and loving man who still found ways to surprise her every single day. He’d always been caring, clever and respectful, that Mermista couldn’t deny. But now he was also diplomatic, intuitive and an impressive mediator with a voice that seemed to calm the harshest of storms in meetings, not to mention the bedroom. 

The last miscarriage was almost four months ago, and she still hadn’t had her fertility blocker removed. They both needed time. Sea Hawk was heartbroken over every loss, and the mental gymnastics Mermista went through each time was excruciating, and she didn’t know if she could handle that again.

Sometimes Mermista wondered if the miscarriages were karma for all the years she held him at arm’s length while she kept her heart locked away. Some kind of divine punishment to hurt the both of them the same way she’d hurt him. 

She sighed, bubbles escaping her mouth and rushing to the surface. 

Entrapta’s voice rang in her head now: “It’s science!” 

And science wasn’t vengeful. It didn’t give a fuck about their past or how they felt. It just was. 

Mermista was pulled out of her head by the sensation of fingers gently tickling her tail. She playfully flicked her tail at Sea Hawk before rolling over and popping out of the water. 

“Hey good lookin’,” she said, leaning over the edge of the tub. 

“That’s you,” Sea Hawk said, but his face flushed like it did every time she complimented him so outwardly. He cleared his throat. “Care if I join you, dearest?” 

“Of course not,” Mermista said, enjoying the show as he began to strip his clothes off. He seemed to get hotter, like, every year, and she’d been watching him take his clothes off since he was eighteen. 

And yeah, teenage Sea Hawk was a fine piece of ass, all long limbs and freckles and abs, and he knew it back then, too. But he had nothing on 30 year old Sea Hawk, broader and stronger with the skills to back up the confidence he radiated. He still knew it, but he didn’t feel the need to prove it to anyone. 

Once Sea Hawk had slipped into the bath with a sigh, Mermista settled herself in his lap. He hummed happily as he wrapped his arms around her and sank down into the tub until his chin was resting on her shoulder. 

“Thanks for finishing everything up down there,” Mermista said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and relaxing into him. She always appreciated just how well they fit together, even when she was a mermaid. Perfectly.

“Mmmmhmm,” Sea Hawk sighed. “I had a feeling if I did you’d have a bath ready for us when I got up here as a reward.” 

“You know me so well,” Mermista said. “I freaking hate trade routes, they stress me out so much. Trying to be fair to the smaller companies while also placating the bigger ones. Ughhhhh.” 

“Yeah, I don’t miss being on the other side of that,” Sea Hawk chuckled. 

“Oh what _ ever _ ,” Mermista scoffed. “I always gave you whatever you wanted.” 

“Hmm, did you? I don’t recall,” he teased. “Remind me what you always asked for in return?”

“Ugh, for you to leave me alone and stay out of Salineas until next year,” Mermista laughed. 

“And now you never let me go anywhere,” Sea Hawk whined, but there was no bite behind it. His hands were getting restless and he began moving them up and down her sides, caressing her breasts and softly stroking the scales on her hips. He pressed his lips to her neck softly. 

“Hey, we’re going somewhere tomorrow,” Mermista said. They’d be going to Bright Moon for the next three days, Sea Hawk would be staying behind with Bow and Catra and the kids, and Mermista would be going to Mystacor with Glimmer and Adora for a spa weekend. Glimmer had planned it all, Mermista assumed in an effort to take her and Sea Hawk’s mind off of everything, and didn’t take no for an answer. Micah caught wind of the plans and made arrangements for Mermista to meet with a fertility specialist discreetly. 

She shifted her position so she was sitting across Sea Hawk’s lap with her head on his chest. He moved his arms to support her, and she curled her tail around one of his legs. “I’ll try to be a little less needy so you can go out more often,” she said, looking up at him. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sea Hawk said apologetically. 

“I know,” Mermista took his jaw in one hand and tilted his face towards her so she could look into his lovely onyx eyes. “I just feel like sometimes, you’re always the one accommodating me. First, having to deal with my moody ass all the time, then all of the bullshit that comes with the crown. Then getting dragged into the Rebellion and saving me from Prime. Years of fucking nightmares for both of us, and you having to stay home because I’m a big baby and can’t sleep alone. And now,” she sniffled, “you might not get to be a dad because of my broken ass body. I’m sorry you got the shit end of the stick with me.”

Sea Hawk pulled her into his chest. “My love, you know better than anyone that shared blood isn’t what makes a family. We haven’t explored all of our options. If we adopt, or do a surrogacy, I’ll be just as much of a dad to that baby as I was to the ones we’ve lost. Your body is everything it needs to be—strong, capable and honestly, girl, the sexiest I’ve ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on.” 

Mermista laughed and shook her head at that. 

“If I could go back in time and choose a different path, I’d make all the same choices that led me to where we are today. Right here in this tub, even. You don’t just mean the world to me, Mermista, you’re my entire world. I’ve always been willing to put in the work for you, to stand at your side whether it be in battle or walking down the aisle, or behind you, ready to cheer you on and support you when you’re off being a rockstar on your own. 

“I know you don’t need me—you never have—but being a part of your life has been the greatest blessing of mine. You’re my most beautiful treasure, my hardest-won battle, my greatest adventure.”

“Did you just repeat your wedding vows to me?” 

“Yes! They’re still true!” 

“How do you even remember those? That was like, verbatim.” 

“My dear, I’ve been practicing them since I was sixteen years old.” 

“Do you have the original draft still? For, like, research purposes.” 

“I can probably dig it up. But only if I can read your diary from back then.” 

“Over my dead body, you can. Or, maybe when we’re, like, fifty and I’ve lost the ability to feel shame.”


	9. days with friends

Sea Hawk was having the time of his life playing with his best friends’ kids, but he hated to admit that it tore the hole in his heart a little more. He’d go from singing nursery shanties to reading books with vibrant narration to playing with the kids in the garden and their playroom, to letting Angello drag him around the castle while excitedly pointing things out. He was so enthusiastic and just smitten with the kids, but it didn’t erase the empty feeling in his chest. 

When nap time came, he disappeared. Bow found him lying on the dock, soaking in the afternoon sun with his legs dangling over the edge. He opened his eyes and greeted Bow when his shadow passed over him, but he looked tired. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Bow asked, joining him at the end of the dock. 

“I am,” Sea Hawk said, sitting up next to his closest friend. After a moment, he added, “I just… really want that for Mermista and myself.” 

Bow didn’t have to ask what Sea Hawk meant. Sea Hawk wasn’t afraid of being vulnerable, but it was hard to see him look so defeated. He placed a hand on Sea Hawk’s shoulder. “I want it for you guys, too. You’re going to be a wonderful dad, Sea Hawk. I just know it.”

Sea Hawk sniffled. “Thanks, Bow,” he said with a soft smile before averting his gaze out over the water. “Every pregnancy was so exciting for the both of us, and then just absolutely devastating when it ended. The last one was really hard on her, and in all honesty I’m at a loss of what I can do to help anymore. ” 

“The best thing you can do for her is be there for her, the same way you have been.”

A tear slowly made its way down Sea Hawk’s cheek, but he was smiling. “I just remember when we found out about the first pregnancy, the first thing I wanted to do was tell you that I was going to be a dad, too. I couldn’t wait to see our kids grow up together. Now I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen. Micah mentioned someone in Mystacor might be able to help, but Mermista hasn’t brought it up since. She remembers everything--it’s actually kind of scary how well--so if she doesn’t bring it up, I know it’s not by accident. I’m kind of worried that she doesn’t want to try again now.”

“You can always adopt, can’t you? Or, uh, let’s see... Entrapta said that she was working on something for herself and Hordak since he can’t… well, you know. And...” Bow trailed off. What could they do? 

Sea Hawk shrugged. “We have talked about other options. Mermista said she didn’t want to adopt because finding a child that can connect to her runestone would be like finding a grain of salt on a sandy beach. I didn’t know Entrapta was working on something, though, that’s interesting…”

“I didn’t even think about that!” Bow was beginning to get panicky. “What happens to the runestone when a Princess doesn’t have an heir to replace them?”

“Woah, what did I just walk into?” A voice came from behind them. Catra stood a few feet behind them, Mara perched on one hip and her hand on the other. “Does Mermaid Princess not want kids?” 

Sea Hawk shifted so he was sitting sideways at the end of the dock to face Catra, one leg tucked underneath himself. “She did,” he said. He didn’t want to lie to Catra, or anyone, anymore, but he was pretty sure Mermista had not told her or Adora. But that was mostly due to lack of opportunity, maybe she would tell Adora this weekend? 

“Did?” Catra shifted the baby to her other hip as she let out a big yawn.. “And then?”

“We’re having some problems,” Sea Hawk said.

“What? Can’t Etherians and Merfolk have kids together? I figured if Adora and I could, you and Fishbreath wouldn’t have any problems.” 

“It’s not that. Actually, Mermista’s dad is an Etherian,” Sea Hawk said. 

“So what’s the problem?” Catra joined them at the edge of the dock, but she leaned against a pillar instead of sitting down. Mara snuggled into her chest, sucking a thumb, her blue eyes fixed on Sea Hawk. 

“It’s ah… complicated.” 

“I’m pretty sure if you can wrap your brain around it, Seagull, I can figure it out.” 

“We’ve just been having some medical trouble, and it’s taken a lot out of her, both physically and mentally. I’m just worried about her, worried she may not want to try to have a baby again.” 

“So what are you going to do?” Catra asked. 

“Well,” Sea Hawk started, not really sure where the sentence was going. 

“Why don’t you get her something meaningful that might cheer her up and put her mind at ease? Something that says ‘I’m your husband and I’m here to support you no matter what!’” Bow suggested. 

“I’d hope she already knows that by now,” Sea Hawk said, sounding a little bit distressed. 

“Sometimes a small reminder of that means a lot, though,” Bow said with a smile. “You know what this means?” 

“Not particularly, no,” Sea Hawk responded, but he was trying to feel some of the excitement Bow was radiating. 

“Boy’s--and Catra!--Day Out!” Bow exclaimed. “We can go shopping! It’ll be fun, taking the kids out on the town, getting some good market food, and I’m sure we’ll be able to find something Mermista will love!”

“Oh, count me out, I’d rather--” Catra began.

Bow interrupted her as he got to his feet. “Nope, you’re coming too, Catra!” He held out a hand to Sea Hawk, who took it and jumped to his feet with vigor. 

“Alright! Time for a Market ADVENCHA!” Sea Hawk exclaimed, bringing a long groan from Catra and a bright giggle from Mara. 

* * *

The journey to Mystacor was easy and fairly uneventful. As they approached the cottage they’d be staying in for the long weekend, Glimmer was rambling about how excited she was to just _relax_ for the first time. 

“I thought just being Queen was hard, now I’ve got Angello to juggle with that and being pregnant again, it’s so _much_ ,” she complained.

“Imagine having twins,” Adora sighed. “Trying to be Ambassador to the Universe while also chasing around two little girls who are constantly finding new ways to almost die? It’s a nightmare.”

Mermista stayed silent, suddenly finding the state of her cuticles fascinating.

Glimmer closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm. “I’m sorry, Mermista, I shouldn’t be complaining,” she said. 

Mermista shrugged the tiny queen off. “Glimmer, I told you, it’s fine.” She crossed her arms as Adora typed in the code provided by the rental agency into the keypad on the cottage’s front door. It made a clicking sound and she pulled the door open. 

“What’s fine?” Adora asked as she held the door open for them. 

“Nothing, nothing,” Mermista said, sighing when she saw that Adora wasn’t buying it. “Ugh, look. Let’s unpack our stuff and I’ll tell you over lunch.” 

“Uh, okay,” Adora said apprehensively. 

* * *

“So yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Mermista said as she finished off the last of her glass of wine. A second later, it had magically refilled. Mermista was beginning to really like Mystacor.

“Oh, Mermista,” Adora said softly, placing a hand on Mermista’s forearm. “That’s so awful, I’m so sorry you’re having to go through with that.”

“It’s… well, it’s not okay, but I’m dealing with it,” Mermista said finally. “Thanks, Adora.” 

“Do you think She-Ra could help at all?” 

“You mean, like, let me feel her up to put me in a better mood? Eh, I don’t know.”

“No!” Adora blushed red. “I meant her healing powers.” 

“I don’t know,” Mermista said. “It’s hard to say, there’s nothing physically wrong with me? The doctors keep saying that, anyways. I’m actually going to be seeing a specialist while we’re here.” 

“A specialist?” Glimmer perked up. 

“Yeah, your dad scheduled it. Someone he went to school with who specializes in fertility and whatever. I guess she can do more than the average doctor, but I’m not getting my hopes up.” 

“When are you seeing her?” Glimmer asked. 

Adora had already pulled out the itinerary she and Glimmer had planned for the weekend. “Yeah, we are pretty much booked full for the whole weekend,” she said, looking over the paper again. 

“I was gonna skip out on lunch with your aunt tomorrow,” Mermista said. When Glimmer made a face at her, she added: “Blame your dad! He scheduled the appointment!” 

“Uh-huh, suuuuuure,” Glimmer said. “I’m sure it has _nothing_ to do with her alleged flirting with Sea Hawk back in the day.” 

“Okay, first of all--it wasn’t alleged, she admitted to it. And second of all—it’s fucked up, okay? I’m literally being mind controlled by a universal dictator and she swoops in on my man? Who does that!?”

“To be fair, nobody really knew if you guys were together or not,” Adora said. 

“Okay, but she was like twice his age,” Mermista pointed out. “Besides, I thought it was _obvious_ , according to everyone.” 

“Yeah, it was kind of creepy,” Glimmer agreed. “I don’t like seeing Aunt Casta flirt, it’s like watching a panther stalk his prey. But you don’t have anything to worry about now! She’s happy engaged to my head guard, Juliet!” 

“I already told you, your dad scheduled the appointment,” Mermista groaned.

“Uh-huh, okay, pretending to believe that,” Glimmer began, eliciting an eye roll from Mermista. “Anyways, let’s just start thinking about what we are doing tonight!”

Adora tapped on the list she had in front of her. “After lunch, we’re heading straight for the hot springs for mineral soaks.” 


	10. an interesting theory

Mermista entered the building that the address took her to cautiously. She was surprised at the stark contrast to the sterile doctors’ offices she’d been in so frequently lately. There was relaxing music coming from… somewhere. And the chairs in the waiting room were more like soft individual couches. An older woman looked up at her from the reception desk. 

“Hello, darling!” She greeted Mermista brightly with a warm beaming smile. “How may I help you?” 

“Uh, I have an appointment with the doctor,” Mermista said gracefully. 

Mermista approached the desk of the receptionist apprehensively. “Yes, I have an appointment,” she said softly. “With Dr. Whatever.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously. 

“Okay, what’s your first and last name?” 

“Mermista Salinean.” 

“Oh! My apologies, Queen Mermista! I didn’t realize--I mean, we knew but--I’m sorry!” 

“What are you sorry for?” Mermista asked, trying to comfort the poor woman with a smile. This was better than pity--at least she was used to the flustered reactions of strangers when she introduced herself. Her dad’s family was well known in Mystacor, but she favored her mom in appearance and it was usually her name that did it.

“Not recognizing you,” the woman said with a blush. “I, ah… Here, I have some paperwork for you, if you’d like to begin filling it out. Then bring it back to me, and I will escort you to the next waiting room. After that, one of the apprentices will grab you when the doctor is ready.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“Cool, thanks,” Mermista said as she took the clipboard from the receptionist. She sat down on one of the cushy couch chairs. There were a few others waiting, all averting their gazes as soon as she looked around the room. She chewed on her lip as she looked over the paperwork. It was typical doctor’s office stuff, but also had a few questions that were more… whimsical.

How does your current fertility situation make you feel? _Like garbage_

What goal do you wish to accomplish with your treatment? _A baby?_

Once Mermista had finished filling out the questionnaire, she brought it back to the receptionist who returned her ID to her and walked around the desk to open the door to a new room. This room was smaller, and Mermista was surprised to see a familiar face. 

“Entrapta?”

“Oh, hi, Mermista!” The Princess of Dryl greeted her excitedly, raising her hair in a wave. “What are you doing here?” 

Mermista felt her face grow hot. This wasn’t what she’d expected at all. She wasn’t prepared to talk about this more than once today. Nor did she want an audience. 

But Entrapta had done a lot for Salineas after the war, and she was a genuinely sweet and kind hearted person. She wouldn’t even say she was sorry or feel pity for her, Mermista realized. Entrapta saw everything so realistically, without any of the feelings Mermista was trying to avoid. 

She sat down in the chair adjacent to Entrapta’s. “I’m here to see why I keep having miscarriages,” she said.

“Well, the vast majority of miscarriages are because of genetic deformities,” Entrapta began. “Chances are, it’s NOTHING to do with you! Making babies is complex stuff, Mermista!” 

Mermista laughed. “I know. I always thought you just like, rubbed your body together without a protection spell or fertility blocker and it just happened. I never expected it to be this difficult.” 

“Well that’s not right! Is that what you and Sea Hawk are doing? No wonder you aren’t pregnant, he has to put his penis inside of your vaginal opening and--” 

“I know, I know!” Mermista interrupted, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence. “I was just using a euphemism, I didn’t actually mean that’s what we are doing. We’re fine in that department.” 

“Ohhhh, I get it,” Entrapta said. 

“Yeah. But I’ve lost three pregnancies in the last… year and a half?” Mermista said, looking across the room. It was still hard to talk about, even with Entrapta’s clinical way of speaking. 

“That’s tough,” Entrapta said thoughtfully. “I’m here because I’m working on a way to create an infant using just genetics from two different species, I was hoping the doctor had some insight on that.” 

“You can, I thought? Sea Hawk and I are… technically two different species. My parents were.” 

Entrapta waived her hair through the air. “That’s different though, the two of you are from Etheria. You’re mostly the same genetically. The two of you each have 23 chromosomes to pair up.” 

“So you’re saying that you and… Hordak don’t have that same number of chromosomes?” 

“According to my research, we do not. It could very well be that Hordak was cloned from Prime, he could have lost some that way, it’s SUCH a complicated process, he spent years trying to clone himself to no avail. We’ve been working on that, too, but what we really want to do is combine our genes and have an offspring of our own!” 

“Was it because he has those… what did he call them? Defects?” Mermista asked. She was genuinely curious. She had forgiven Hordak for Salineas years ago, but they weren’t super close. Hordak kept to himself, even more so than Mermista did. Sea Hawk _loved_ him, and Hordak’s apprehensive reaction to the boisterous and flamboyant man was always interesting to watch. 

“We did consider that,” Entrapta said. “So I took a DNA Sample from Kadroh (Wrong Hordak) and a few of the other clones that inhibit Dryl, and they all have the same number - 26. We dug into the DNA pretty extensively, and I can’t find out what exactly those extra chromosomes take care of.” 

“Not to change the subject but… do you think that there’s a chance that my being chipped is the reason I’m having so many problems?” Mermista asked. She stared down at her hands. 

“It’s an interesting theory,” Entrapta mused. “But I don’t think so. Spinnerella and Catra were able to successfully conceive children.” 

“Yeah, but they didn’t carry them,” Mermista sighed. 

“You’re welcome to come down to Dryl and let me run some tests on you!” Entrapta offered. “I’d love to experiment with your water magic a little, too!” She looked at Mermista with wide and hopeful eyes. 

“I’ll consider it?” Mermista asked. Shit, was she really considering that? What was the other option? 

“Hey, do you know what would happen to the Pearl if I can’t have a kid?” Mermista asked. 

“Well, not really. I read once about runestones that have gone extinct or ended up crumbling away due to non-use or their lineages dying out. But I’m not sure if that’s based on truth or just a myth. However, you know that you don’t have to be genetically similar to someone for them to connect to a runestone with you, right?” 

“No, I didn’t know that,” Mermista said. “I’ve never heard of anyone from outside of the Salinean family line connecting to it…” 

Entrapta squealed with glee. “You don’t know the history of your own runestone!?”

“No, I do!” Mermista said. “I just thought it was always my family that had a connection to it.”

“A-ha! Not at all! In fact, your runestone is one of the reasons your line of Merfolk have legs!” 

Mermista looked at her with furrowed brows. “Really?”

That didn’t seem right, she felt like she would know that, wouldn’t she? Well, she never asked her mom about their family like that, and it’s not like her dad talked to her much about family lineage outside of his own. 

“Yes! I stumbled upon some ancient history books on genetics and evolution when we were doing our research! They’re faaaaascinating…” Entrapta seemed to stare off into space.

“Any chance you can send them to Salineas? I’d like to check them out if possible.” 

“Yeah! I’ll have Hordak send them over!”

“Thanks, Entrapta.” 

“Now, about the tests…” 

“Mermista Salinean? The doctor will see you.” 

Mermista was kind of relieved she didn’t have to commit to anything with Entrapta right now. “Yeah, let’s talk about that later, okay?” 

“Okay!”

First she had to do a urine sample, then the nurse led her to a new room. The doctor’s room was a stark contrast to the rest of the rooms in the building. It was sterile, clean, walls painted white and all of the furniture was what you’d expect in a normal doctor’s office, but white and pristine. 

Mermista sat on the bed anxiously pushing back what was left of her cuticles as she waited for the doctor, swinging her legs back and forth and thinking about what Entrapta said about her only having legs because of the Pearl. But that couldn’t be right, could it? She was born with her legs and she had cousins from her mom’s side that could also transform without access to it. Was that all just evolution, too? Had the pearl always been on land? Now she was thinking about how different things would be if she’d started out as a mermaid and got her legs later on, what would that be like? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of the doctor, a man about Micah’s age with long, flowing silver hair, a full beard and a dark complexion. “Good afternoon, your Majesty, I am Dr. Freyr. This is my assistant, Peko.” A young woman behind him shut the door and gave Mermista a quick curtsey. She was tiny, maybe even shorter than Glimmer, with her soft brown hair in a short pixie cut and wide brown eyes. She almost resembled a deer person with her exaggerated features, but lacked the fur, ears or horns. 

Mermista took the man’s outstretched hand and shook it. “Thank you for seeing me.”

“It’s my pleasure. I have been looking over your files that Dr. Ostrea sent over, and honestly, your case is quite fascinating. I understand that you’re under a fertility blocking spell, would you mind if I removed it, then we can do a few scans, take some blood and run some tests?”

Mermista nodded, wondering if the fascinating was a good or a bad thing. “Go ahead.” 

The scans were done in another room, one was an ultrasound that they recorded, the other two were in big machines that Mermista had to stay perfectly still in while the machine screamed at her. Then it was back to the main room. She let them poke and prod at her for a bit, taking blood samples and asking her to transform so they could also take a sample from her tail. 

“Is the blood different when I’ve transformed?” Mermista asked. Her conversation with Entrapta had her questioning everything, now.

“Probably not, but it’s good to see if there are any differences or anomalies that we have not considered,” Peko said in her soft voice. “Now, just relax while we take care of these samples, you can transform back.” 

Mermista anxiously sat at the edge of the bed, trying to think of anything but how nervous she was to hear bad news. She wondered what Sea Hawk was up to, and was beginning to regret not inviting him. He’d hold her hand and do anything to distract her until the doctor came back. 

She just didn’t want to get his hopes up. Not again. 

After an absolutely painful amount of time, the door cracked open and Dr. Freyr came back in alone. He had a thick stack of paper in her hands, and Mermista swallowed, but the doctor had a big smile on his face. 

“I believe I found the source of your problems, and the treatment is quite simple,” he began, then went on to explain the results. Mermista’s body was hormonally imbalanced, probably due to injuries she sustained during the war. It was causing her uterine lining to be dangerously thin and unable to support a pregnancy. 

“So it wasn’t genetic, after all,” Mermista said, her voice shaking. 

“The miscarriages very well could have been due to genetics, but this is another factor that is increasing the risk.”

“What can we do?” 

“We can supplement you with both weekly injections and daily pills. I can send the injections to Dr. Ostrea’s office so you don’t have to travel so far for them, because you’ll want to get them every other week while you’re trying, then weekly until you are twenty weeks into a pregnancy. I’d like to go ahead and start with the injections today, if you wish to.”

“Let’s do it, then.” 


	11. Optimistic

Sea Hawk held Angello on his shoulders while Catra and Bow each had one of the twins as they walked through the market. 

“I miss when Angello was this small,” Bow sniffled, snuggling a giggling Mara in his arms. She patted his cheeks with her tiny hands and babbled. 

“You’re not gonna miss it as much when you’ve got another little pipsqueak to diaper and feed,” Catra laughed as she rubbed Hope’s back in the baby carrier she had strapped to her chest. “Give it time.” Still, she lovingly pressed a kiss to her young daughter’s forehead.

Angello was cycling between holding onto fistfuls of Sea Hawk’s hair, using his head as a drum and pointing at things and exclaiming single-syllable nonsense. Sea Hawk was totally into it, letting the little guy tell him where to go next and reacting animatedly to everything he’d babble. 

It made Bow’s stomach hurt, because he wanted that for his friend, too. Sea Hawk might be wild and impulsive, but Mermista seemed to mellow him out a little and he knew that they’d be fantastic parents if they got the opportunity. It was so clear that Sea Hawk loved kids and Mermista was so gentle with them, they’d balance each other out perfectly. 

And even though she wasn’t nearly as outspoken as Sea Hawk about it, Bow couldn’t help but notice the way she looked at the kids when they were all at the castle. There was so much love in her eyes before the hurt settled in, and they weren’t even hers. 

Angello shrieked and yanked at Sea Hawk’s hair again, causing Bow to flinch. “I’m sorry about him, he has this thing with hair, I can—”

“Don’t worry about it! I’m used to it!” Sea Hawk grinned. Bow looked at him, inquisitive. “Mermista is ah, she can be very aggressive. This little one’s hands are nothing in comparison.”

“I’m begging you to stop talking right now,” Catra groaned, placing her hands over Mara’s ears like she could understand. 

Unfortunately for Sea Hawk, the market was kind of a bust. Nothing felt quite right, not for his dearest. He wanted something that made a statement, not only of their love for each other but their love for their future children. It also had to be personal. No mass produced trinket or symbol was going to work for this purpose. 

It was over lunch that the idea came to him. They had found this wonderful little bistro that specialized in lunch and finger foods, delicious for the parents and easy for the kids. Sea Hawk was talking about his childhood in Snows and he trailed off as he became lost in thought. 

“What’s wrong?” Bow asked as he was holding out a piece of fruit for Angello to eat. “Cat got your tongue?” 

“What? You mean I can shut him up just by grabbing his tongue?” Catra asked, leveling her gaze on Sea Hawk and smirking. 

“Doubt it!” Sea Hawk chuckled, but he raised a hand to shield his mouth from Catra anyways. “I just thought of the perfect gift for Mermista, actually! When we get back to the castle, I need to get a seagull to my friend Bill!” 

“Sure thing, buddy!” Bow said happily. 

Sea Hawk eyed Catra nervously for the rest of the evening, especially when he was speaking. 

* * *

When Mermista returned from her appointment, Adora and Glimmer were relaxing in the cabin. They were both wearing these monstrosities of sweaters, and Glimmer held up a cropped one, knitted in the pattern of fish-scales with gold trim for Mermista. 

“Auntie Casta sends her love,” she grinned. “She made one for Sea Hawk, too, cause she knew the two of you were visiting.” 

“That’s actually… really nice of her,” Mermista said as she took the sweater. She had tried taking up knitting herself but didn’t have the patience for it, or the time, really. Then she saw a pair of knitting needles in the corner of the room, moving of their own accord, and realized that maybe that’s how Castaspella managed to knit so much. 

“How did it go?!” Adora asked excitedly, sitting up from where she was laying on the couch so Mermista could sit next to her. “Did they put a baby in you?!”

“Adora, that’s not really how it works—” Glimmer interrupted.

“That’s how it worked with me!” Adora protested. 

“Well yeah, because you and Catra don’t have the right parts to make a baby on your own,” Glimmer laughed. 

“Yeah, they just ran some tests on me and gave me some hormones,” Mermista said nonchalantly. She didn’t want to sound too excited, or get her hopes up. Not yet, at least. Hoping to change the subject, she added, “I ran into Entrapta, actually.” 

That perked up the other two, who were interested in the why. 

“I can’t imagine what their kids would look like,” Glimmer said after she explained. 

“I hope she can do it,” Adora said. “But I also can’t imagine Hordak as a dad? He didn’t want anything to do with kids _or_ adults back in the Fright Zone.” 

“Can you imagine how absolutely wild their kid would be though? Talk about chaotic,” Glimmer mused. “I know Hordak was technically… created? As an adult, but I wonder what Entrapta was like as a kid?”

* * *

When they arrived back in Bright Moon at the end of the spa trip, Sea Hawk already had the ship prepared to sail so they could depart right after dinner. 

“What are you in such a rush for?” Mermista asked as he swept her into his arms. “I cleared our schedules for tomorrow so we could hang out, the new Mer-Mysteries book was released this weekend and I had the butler order it for us.” 

“I know, I know, I’d just rather do it on an empty stomach than a full one,” Sea Hawk said before he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I missed you, my dearest.” 

“Yeah, I missed you, too, babe.” 

Glimmer and Adora were greeting their beloveds as well, giving kisses to more than just one face as they greeted their kids, too. Mermista was excited to tell Sea Hawk about the injections, but decided to wait until tomorrow when they were relaxed at home. 

“What did you guys end up getting up to?”

The group exchanged stories of their long weekend with each other over a lovely dinner and glasses of wine. Mermista took Sea Hawk’s away after his second one, so they might be able to make it home in one piece. They had stuff to do, as it would be. 

She was trying not to get her hopes up, but she did feel very optimistic and warm as they said their goodbyes to their friends and departed from the docks. Mermista was half ready to jump Sea Hawk on the deck, and she could tell that was one of the reasons he was eager to get home, too, by the way his hands kept roaming when he didn’t have to focus on steering. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but you can read my fic “At the Bottom of Everything” and find out what Sea Hawk got her! 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26291332


	12. his greatest pleasure

Mermista woke up from a weird dream and rolled over to empty, cold sheets. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, listening for running water or any sign Sea Hawk was still in the castle, then felt out for the bay surrounding the castle for Sea Hawk’s ship. Empty. The bastard.

“One day. I just wanted one fucking day, Sea Hawk,” she groaned into the empty room, rubbing her temples.

Whatever. 

She could relax on her own, and if she accidentally spoiled  _ Mer-Mysteries: Smooth Krill-minal _ to him over dinner tonight? Well, that was his fault, now wasn’t it?

And if he didn’t come home tonight? He’d better have a goddamn good reason. 

She rang for the butler to bring her a cup of tea and breakfast to the bedroom since she was alone, and ate her toast with scrambled eggs and roe in the bath. Once the water got cold, she climbed out and got ready for the day. After dressing comfortably in leggings and a simple kurta, she sat down to fix her hair. She was in dire need of a haircut, she realized. Her bangs were getting a little too long, and it was a little harder than usual to untangle the knots from her waves. Maybe this time she’d chop it all off. It had been a while since her hair was shoulder-length, and she wondered if it would look as cute now as it did when she was fourteen. She tossed that thought to the side — another day, maybe, when she wasn’t irritated—and braided her hair, letting it rest on her shoulder when she was done. 

The books she’d ordered for herself and Sea Hawk were set up in the library with the bottle of wine she’d requested for this very occasion. She figured if the news from Dr. Freyr was good, they could drink it to celebrate—probably the last time she’d drink in a while, hopefully. And if it was bad, well, they could drink together in their misery. 

But the news was good, and she was irritated he wasn’t here for it. 

Mermista curled up on the couch with the twenty-fourth  _ Mer-Mysteries _ book,  _ Death Sails at Midnight _ , because she wasn’t a monster. A few moments later, the door to the library squeaked open and she looked up excitedly, only to drop her shoulders at the sight of Salty Dog pattering in on his three legs, his kinked tail wagging. He was a scruffy little mutt that Sea Hawk found on one of his trips and brought home one day, already in love with the unfortunate-looking thing, and Mermista couldn’t say no. 

Salty Dog sat in front of the couch and barked once, letting Mermista know he wanted up, and she helped him onto the couch where he curled up next to her, putting his snout on her leg. He looked up at her with his dark eyes and huffed. 

“I know, I want him here, too,” Mermista sighed, scratching him between the ears. 

Salty Dog wasn’t allowed in the bedroom when Sea Hawk was home, but Mermista often brought him in to sleep with her when Sea Hawk was away. She hated to admit that the furry little creature brought her some level of comfort and made sleeping alone a little easier. She rarely had nightmares when he was there, and he’d wake her up by climbing on top of her and licking her face if she had them when he was. 

They had an understanding. 

It wasn’t long before a Seagull flew in through the open window, landing on the chair next to them. Mermista dropped her book and grabbed onto Salty Dog so he wouldn’t chase the poor thing away, her eyes widening at the bird’s message. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” 

* * *

_ Excerpt from “At the Bottom of Everything” _

They were still half way in the water on the shore of the beach when she laid him on his back and began to use her hydrokinesis to empty his lungs of water. He began to cough and sputter as she did, his face red and eyes bulging. 

“Sorry, I know it sucks,” Mermista said in a soothing tone as she pulled out the last of it. “This is what you deserve for leaving me today, though.” 

“Dearest—” Sea Hawk said, but she leaned down and kissed him to shut him up. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, still rising and falling in an unsteady rhythm. 

“Stop doing this to me,” she said sharply as she pulled back, narrowing her eyes at him. She dropped her trident and pointed at the fourth finger on her left hand, a gold ring embedded with sapphires and a glittering center diamond cut into a lozenge shape. “You promised you’d stop being so reckless.”

Her tail split into legs as she deflated, shifting her weight so she was sitting on his thighs. She moved a hand to push her wet hair out of her face and looked up at the mid afternoon sky in an attempt to stop her eyes from watering. She couldn’t tell if it was worry, or anger, or frustration that did it. Maybe it was just hormones.

Sea Hawk coughed again, then put a hand on her thigh. “Darling, I didn’t mean for it to—” 

“And what was so important anyways? Whose boat did you set on fire this time? I don’t get it. We have a whole fleet of ships you can burn so why do you—”

“Mermista!” Sea Hawk shouted, sitting up and putting his hands on her shoulders, finally grabbing her attention. “I was ambushed by Scurvy and his crew, I didn’t take a crew this time, I was just making a quick trip to Snows to get something for you.” He unbuttoned the small hip pocket he always had attached to his belt and pulled out a box, opening it and placing it in her hand. 

Inside was a golden choker with a polished ocean agate pendant, one of Mermista’s favorite stones, carved with a geometric symbol. It wasn’t first ones writing, either. Mermista looked to Sea Hawk for an explanation. He took the choker out of the box and she moved her hair out of the way for him as he reached to put it around her neck. 

“It’s an ancient Snows fertility symbol,” he explained as he fastened it. “I know you don’t really believe in all of that, but I thought it might help, even if it’s just in our heads. Fuck, I’m sorry, what’s wrong?”

The tears Mermista had been trying to conceal began to spill over now, running down her cheeks, but she just smiled and shook her head before throwing her arms around his neck and causing them to both fall into the sand. “You dumbass,” she laughed, kissing him softly before rolling off of him and laying in the sand next to him, the ocean still lapping at their legs. “I… lied about Mystacor just being a spa weekend.”

“What do you mean?” Sea Hawk asked, brows furrowed.

“I had a doctors appointment.”

“Misty, I always go to those with you—“

“Shh,” Mermista interrupted. “Let me talk. So I went to a doctor that Micah recommended, she's supposed to be the leader in regards to pregnancy in the healing council, and we talked about everything that has been going on, how we keep trying and—and the miscarriages—“ she stumbled over that one, swallowing a lump in her throat. “They said that they had been working on some type of magical hormone injection-whatever that’s supposed to like, make my body more hospitable for a baby. And — well, if it doesn’t work, Entrapta’s working on some way to make a baby that… doesn’t have to be inside of me? But it would still be ours? I don’t really want to do that, but…” she trailed off, looking over at her husband who had tears in his own eyes. She rolled down the waistband of her leggings to reveal a blue band aid on her hip. “I got the first injection yesterday. She said it should work within 1-2 days and I’m supposed to get them biweekly while we… you know.” She blushed and smiled at him.

He sniffled, nodding his head. “Oh, my dearest, my princess, my darling!” He moved so that he was on top of her, not bothering to hide his tears as he kissed her face, her cheeks, her lips, her forehead, her chin. “I have a good feeling about this time.” He reached to touch the pendant. “Our baby is going to be just as beautiful and strong and intelligent as you are, my love.”

“Hopefully they’ll be as kind and caring and charismatic as you,” Mermista responded with a smile. 

“You forgot to say good-looking,” Sea Hawk said, pushing his hair back out of his face with one hand.

* * *

The next few days melted into weeks as things returned to business as usual, with Mermista returning to a mountain of paperwork and Sea Hawk needing to oversee inspections on a queue of ships that had piled up over their mini-vacation. He also had to secure a new ship for himself since Scurvy’s team captured his last one.

Sometimes Mermista’s day managed to wrap up before Sea Hawk’s did, and she’d end up in the empty guest bedroom. She’d moved the rocking chair to the window so she could look over the sea. Occasionally she’d bring a book to read, but sometimes she just stared at the empty walls of the room while her mind wandered about the future and considered their past. 

She found herself caught one day, waking up in the chair with a blanket tucked around her and the teddy bear under her arm, Salty Dog curled up at her feet. She placed the stuffed bear back on the chair and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders before retreating to the bedroom, Salty Dog following behind her. 

Sea Hawk was in the shower, so she draped the blanket over the sofa in the bedroom and entered the bathroom quietly, shedding her clothes before joining him. He had his back to her and jolted in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him, but melted into her when he felt her body press against his. 

“Have a nice nap, dearest?”

“Mmmmhmm,” Mermista murmured, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as she ran her hands over his torso. “Did you just jump in here?” 

“I did,” Sea Hawk replied, moving the showerhead so the water was spraying both of them now, sighing contentedly as Mermista began to wash his hair, gently massaging shampoo into his scalp just the way she knew he liked it. 

After all of the years he spent fighting for her attention, fighting by her side, then fighting for her freedom, even then, sometimes this still felt like a wonderful hallucination. Mermista was everything he could ever hope for. He loved her as a beautiful, stubborn and feisty girl with heavily guarded emotions and enough fire in her soul to burn a thousand ships. And he loved her even more, now, still gorgeous, strong willed and fiercely protective over the things she cared about—her kingdom, their relationship, and now this family they were trying to create together. 

He knows the last few years have been hard on his dearest. It’s not like they thought everything would be perfect all the time after the war, but his love had more than her fair share of burdens over the decades, and he wished he could do more than just hold her hand through it all. Yet, when he turned to face her in the shower after she rinsed out the suds from his hair, meeting her gorgeous eyes, soft and warm and full of hope, he knew that she was strong enough to get through all of this. And it was his greatest pleasure to be there by her side through it all. 

He wrapped her into a hug, pulling her tightly against his chest, and she apprehensively returned it, her arms closing around his waist. 

“What’s this for?” Mermista asked after a moment, her cheek resting on his chest as his heart beat synced with hers. 

“I just love you, my dearest.”

“Oh. I love you too, babe.”


	13. Christmas in Salineas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Christmas Episode of Rainbows over Salineas! Huge shoutout to Chloe and Pearl for the gift ideas, I would never have thought of them without their help!

Christmas was an ancient First Ones tradition, one of few that were still celebrated in Etheria. The origins of the holiday were unknown, but the traditions of exchanging gifts and enjoying dinner as a family remained. The castle staff became a skeleton crew for the days prior to and following the holidays, and Mermista had many warm memories of cooking with her mom, opening presents in front of the fireplace and dinners with her extended family. It was in these rare moments that she’d catch a glance of her parents in a relaxed state and actually believed they were in love. Sometimes her dad would join them in the kitchen, and those were some of Mermista’s fondest childhood memories. 

After her mother’s death, she tried to keep up the tradition herself, trying to recreate some of her mom’s favorite recipes on her own, tried to drag her dad to the living room to put a fire on in the fireplace. As her family slowly moved away and finally, once her father had, she didn’t do much to celebrate the holiday unless Sea Hawk happened to be around. Because of that, she didn’t care much for Christmas anymore.

Many of Sea Hawk’s favorite childhood memories also surrounded the First Ones holiday. As a child, he and his sister, Lark, would spend their days in the forests of Snows, having snowball fights and building forts with the other kids from town, only to come home to the warmth of the fireplace their dad always kept lit, hot chocolate and a hot meal their mother had prepared. They weren’t wealthy and more often than not the gifts exchanged were practical rather than fun, but Sea Hawk and his sister always fell asleep that night with a new book in their hands, dressed in cozy new pajamas and wool socks. 

It took a few years for Mermista to warm up to Christmas again, but the last couple of years had been wonderful. One year they went to Bright Moon and the entire alliance celebrated together. The year Salineas was considered “rebuilt”, they hosted at the castle. Other years, it was just the two of them recreating their childhood memories and making new ones together. 

This year was going to be the best yet, Mermista decided as she grinned at the pregnancy test, a little plus sign centered on the display. She doused it in water so it would ruin the test before throwing it away. Just like Sea Hawk said before, she had a good feeling about this one. So she figured she could keep it to herself a little bit longer. 

“And we’re gonna make daddy so happy this year, aren’t we?” She murmured, resting her hand on her unchanged stomach. 

Mermista had to admit that this pregnancy was different from the others, and that was part of why she felt so hopeful about it. The nausea almost let the secret out more than once, but she managed to keep it under control when he was in the room. She had come to appreciate how in tune with her emotions Sea Hawk was over the years, but it made hiding this from him a stupidly difficult task. 

“You okay, darling?” He asked over breakfast on Christmas Eve as she pushed her breakfast around the plate with her fork, feeling sick and unwilling to take another bite. 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just not that hungry today. Food kind of tastes weird, I guess.” Mermista leaned her head on her fist, looking over at him, knowing if she averted her eyes it would make him more suspicious. They’d traded off cooking each meal, and she’d cooked that morning, so it wasn’t like she was hurting any feelings with her words. 

He studied her face, but if he saw something there that disagreed with her words, he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he took her free hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckle, closing his eyes with a soft smile. He lingered for a moment, then gathered their plates and took them to the kitchen to wash them. Mermista followed with their cups and the napkins, finishing her water as she watched him scrape her plate into the trash. 

“I got this,” Sea Hawk said, motioning at the dishes. “Go relax, dearest, it’s our vacation, too,” he grinned. 

Not one to argue in favor of washing dishes, Mermista deposited the cups in the sink and pressed a quick kiss to Sea Hawk’s lips before moving to exit the kitchen. “I think I’m gonna go for a swim,” she called over her shoulder in the hopes that he’d join her once he was done. 

Holidays in Salineas were business as usual, the air was a little crisper and maybe a tinge less humid, but most families spent Christmas on the beach or on boats. More so now that the war was over. Snow wasn’t even thought of in the tropic coastal kingdom, but Christmas lights were just as beautiful reflecting on ocean waves as they were on snowbanks. 

The beaches were way too crowded for Mermista’s tastes, and she didn’t particularly want to entertain her subjects. She made great efforts to be present in her kingdom, trying to know business owners and other highly regarded citizens by name, attending grand openings of new businesses and any event she was invited to, no matter how small. She wanted her subjects to have faith and trust in her ability to lead them, and that was just one way she could connect with them on a personal level. But it was both mentally and physically exhausting for the introverted queen, and making a spectacle of herself by transforming into a mermaid wasn’t something she looked forward to. 

Something about the ocean made it difficult for her to control her transformation. Being submerged in any body of water without transforming eventually became difficult, the need to do so growing from an idea to an irritating itch to a dull ache to actual pain. The ocean, however, seemed to speed up the process and it only took a couple of minutes for legs to seem unbearable. It made sense, Mermista supposed, that resisting her natural instinct would cause her pain. And there really wasn’t a reason to resist it, but merfolk weren’t exactly… common, these days. She had a few cousins across the continent, but she was the only one left in Salineas. With that rarity came attention and eyes on her, and that was the last thing Mermista wanted.

Her private pool was a sanctuary. Fresh water so she could choose to transform if she wanted to, but she didn’t need to. It was big enough that she could swim laps in her mermaid form without feeling cramped, and when her staff was around they all knew not to bother her when she was there. Sea Hawk was the only person who had an open invitation to join her there, but he wouldn’t unless she brought it up before going herself. 

She threw up in the master bathroom before changing, feeling relieved from the nausea but gross from the process as she brushed the evidence from her teeth. She changed into a skimpy bikini that she knew Sea Hawk adored and headed to the pool. She was doing lazy laps when Sea Hawk walked in, two ice cold teas in his hands and she swam over to where he was at the edge. He handed one to her, pressing the cold glass to her cheek before handing it over to her with a smirk. She splashed him playfully, missing on purpose, before hoisting herself up to sit on the edge of the pool.

As Sea Hawk moved to sit next to her, she tried subtly sniff the drink to make sure there was no alcohol in it before taking a sip. She hadn’t been drinking much at all since they’d come back from Bright Moon, so worried that she wouldn’t find out she was pregnant until it was too late, but it was a holiday and sometimes Sea Hawk forgot.

“This is my favorite bikini of yours,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and letting his fingers stray as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. 

“I know, figured you deserved a treat for being such a lovely husband,” Mermista teased, letting her tail transform back into legs so she could more easily sit in his lap. 

The thing about being a mermaid that nobody mentions is how fucking heavy the tail is as soon as it’s lifted out of water. Mermista was glad that seawater was the only type of water that basically forced her to transform, because hauling the stupid thing around outside of water wasn’t exactly a treat. And she’d much rather have two legs when she straddled her husband, anyways. 

“Mmmm, hello,” Sea Hawk said as they adjusted to this new position, running his hands up and down her curves as she scattered wet open mouthed kisses all over his neck and jaw. He moved his hands down to her ass, under the thin fabric of the bikini, and squeezed, causing her to moan softly into his neck. 

Mermista leaned back to look at him, her eyes half lidded and full lips molded into a smile as she tangled the fingers of one hand in the hair at the back of his head while the other trailed lines down his chest. He had a mischievous look in his eyes, and Mermista only had half a second to take in the smirk under his mustache before she was flying backwards into the water with a yelp. He kicked off the pool wall, diving in after her and pulling her under for a kiss. 

“You asshole!” Mermista growled under the water, the sound no different than it was above the surface, after she pulled back. She was tempted to hold him under the water until it hurt, but that wasn’t fair for him, the same way that splashing him with her water powers wasn’t fair. 

“You love me!” Sea Hawk was laughing as they broke the surface, a pretty laugh that reminded Mermista of when they were teenagers, one that tugged at the edges of Mermista’s lips and made her heart beat a little faster.

“You’re lucky I do!” She ducked under the water and then popped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist as she clung to his back. He gave her calves a gentle squeeze as she nuzzled her face into his neck. “Just wait,” she whispered in his ear. “I’ll get you back.” 

“Can’t be too naughty,” Sea Hawk said. “Santa only brings presents for good little girls.” 

Mermista snorted. “Yeah, okay, so he’s definitely putting coal in  _ your _ stocking, then.” 

“I’ve accepted my fate,” Sea Hawk grinned. “Besides, I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted right here.” 

Mermista rolled her eyes before she dunked him under the water. 

Christmas morning meant breakfast in bed as they exchanged gifts. Sea Hawk woke up early this year and made waffles and bacon, balancing them on a tray as he returned to the bedroom. Mermista had woken up shortly after he did, grateful for the empty bed so she could deal with her nausea in secret one last time. 

Sea Hawk’s childhood tradition of new Christmas pajamas carried on with them, so they were both dressed in matching red flannels when he came back to the bedroom. Mermista already had the gifts laid out on the bed for them, her gifts to him wrapped tightly with perfect creases and his gifts to her wrapped a little roughly but with gorgeous bows. 

“Gifts or breakfast first?” Sea Hawk asked, and Mermista grinned. Normally she made him wait until they were done eating to open gifts, but she was just too eager for him to know the good news to wait any longer. 

“Let’s do gifts first,” she said. 

Sea Hawk’s gifts were a mix of eccentric and extremely thoughtful. Mermista really didn’t ever  _ need _ anything, and she was the type of person to just buy what she wanted when she wanted it, so gift buying for the queen could be difficult. Sea Hawk managed to exceed expectations and surprise her every year, and this year was no different.

First, he got her a little knitting kit with a pattern for a tiny baby beanie and booties and the softest yarn she’d ever felt, because she’d mentioned offhand that maybe she wanted to try knitting again after she came back with Castaspella’s sweaters from Mystacor. 

Next was a weird glass bottle filled with sand, and as Mermista turned it around in her hands trying to figure out why, he explained: “I kind of thought… it would be cooler? But it’s just like, sand from some of the places we’ve visited together this year. I guess, since it’s all the same color, you can’t really tell...” He chuckled nervously, and Mermista scooted closer to him, pointing out the differences in the layers, how some of them had tiny shells in them and there were subtle differences in the shades of the sand, and he was grinning as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. She took special care not to disturb it as she set it on her nightstand. 

Finally, a tiny box with a ring in it. Mermista teared up as she ran her thumb over the stones in the ring she hadn’t seen since she was a kid. Her mother’s coronation ring. She thought it would be handed down to her when she was crowned, but since her dad left before the event, she never found out where it was kept. “I found it when we were going through your parents' stuff over the summer, but it was in pretty rough shape. I got it restored and resized so you can wear it. I also got a chain so you can wear it around your neck, if you prefer.”

Mermista was a practical gift giver. Her photographic memory was super helpful when it came to gifts because she knew everything Sea Hawk needed, often before he realized he needed it.

A new pair of extra grippy sailing gloves because his old ones were wearing out and she knew that the lines were getting rougher on his hands over the years.

A few pairs of wool socks to replace the ones he’d manage to lose or misplace this year, knowing they were much better to keep him warm and dry when he was out on a ship.

A new leather-bound journal so he could write down his shanties and adventures, replacing the one he’d just finished and shelved on the bedroom bookshelf.

A pocket watch to replace the one he broke last month, “so maybe you’ll come home on time.” 

And finally, another tradition: a new model boat commissioned from Bow, that Sea Hawk could put together in a bottle, replicated from one of his past burnt ships. 

“Oh, and one more thing,” Mermista said, pulling out the card she had slipped under her thigh and handing it over to him. 

Sea Hawk raised his eyebrows at her, a confused smile on his face as he turned the envelope over in his hands. “You wax sealed it?” He teased.

Mermista smacked his arm playfully, because he  _ knew _ how much she loved the wax seal he had custom made for her on their first wedding anniversary. Stationary was one of her things. “You know I’ll use any excuse I have to use it.”

“I know, I know, it’s super satisfying,” Sea Hawk chuckled as he popped it open. 

The card was more of a letter written on thick textured soft blue paper Mermista only used for super special occasions like this one. Sea Hawk opened the card, scanning the contents and his hand popped up to cover his mouth as his jaw dropped. He turned to Mermista, dark eyes sparkling and brimming with tears.

“Really?”

Mermista nodded, unable to contain her grin. “Five weeks.” 

Sea Hawk’s shoulders rose as he inhaled, face breaking into a grin as he threw his arms around her, causing them both to fall onto the bed. 

“Hey, careful, careful, I have precious cargo here,” Mermista teased, laughing as he peppered kisses over her face.

“How are you feeling?” Sea Hawk asked, flipping up her sleep shirt and pressing his lips on her stomach. She didn’t look any different, but everything had changed. 

“I started feeling sick a couple of days ago, I feel okay today, actually,” Mermista said. 

“That’s why you were so sick yesterday at breakfast,” Sea Hawk realized. “Oh, honey, if I knew--”

Mermista shook her head. “I wasn’t about to ruin the surprise with one day left.”

“Misty,” Sea Hawk sighed hopefully, looking up at her with those lovely dark eyes and that warm, loving smile. Mermista reached out to push his already messy hair out of his face, caressing the side of it with her fingers as she did. 

“I know,” she said softly, opening her arms so he could cuddle up to her side. 

They both had a good feeling about this one. 


	14. wake up calls

Mermista’s announcement to Sea Hawk had been timed perfectly, because she didn’t manage to keep anything down for the next few days. The nausea was distracting to the point where she couldn’t get any work done, and a few days of barely eating were starting to wear on her, too. 

“You better stick around, little tadpole, or I’m gonna be pissed I went through this for nothing,” Mermista grumbled to her stomach on her way back to bed after a particularly bad morning. She felt like fucking hell, she swears she hadn’t been this sick in years. It was like the flu but worse, and her head was fine so she couldn’t even sleep it off. Sea Hawk was still sleeping peacefully, the bastard, so she climbed back under the blankets and curled up to him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He adjusted so his hand was gripping her arm in his sleep and continued snoring softly. Mermista pressed her cheek to his warm back and tried to fall back asleep to the rhythm of his breathing. 

It must have worked, because she woke up to an empty bed. She pulled the blankets up over her head to block out the light in the room. The way her bedroom was in the castle, the morning light didn’t shine through the windows until late morning, so she had overslept. 

Shit, what did they have today? She wracked her brain for today’s plans but came up short. Did they have today off? Was it a weekend?

The sound of whistling pulled her out of her thoughts as Sea Hawk entered the room, balancing a tray with breakfast on it. 

“Mermiiiistaaaa~” he sang softly, and she groaned under the blanket in response. They’d been playing this game for years, but it was usually him urging her to come down to breakfast, not bringing it to her. “My darling Queen, it’s time for breakfast, and then we get to go see our little one!” He sat down on the bed next to her, and she smelled coffee and bacon. 

Oh, that’s what today was. Ultrasound time. She was supposed to be around 8 weeks now. 

She sat up, dropping the blanket around her waist. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” Sea Hawk said.

“M’rn,” Mermista grumbled as she scooted closer to him. “If we keep eating in bed we’re gonna attract bugs.”

Sea Hawk handed her a piece of toast while he picked up his coffee. “It’s fine, the cleaning crew have been changing the sheets every other day or so.” 

Mermista glanced down. “Huh. I didn’t notice.” She nibbled on the toast until she decided it wasn’t going to make her puke and took bigger bites. Sea Hawk had also brought some green tea for her, and she sipped on it. She frowned at Sea Hawk’s half-full coffee mug. “I miss coffee so much.” 

“We can ask if there’s a time you’ll be able to start having it again,” Sea Hawk reassured her, squeezing her thigh gently. “In the meantime, try to eat a little more. This is the first time you’ve kept anything down in days.” 

“I know. I threw up dinner in the middle of the night last night.” 

“I wonder if there’s anything you can take for that…”

“Glimmer suggested mint tea, and Adora said ginger helped her. But I freaking hate ginger.” Mermista scowled, causing Sea Hawk to chuckle. “Well, I’ll get the chef to start making you mint tea a couple times a day.” 

The best thing about having Sea Hawk around was that Mermista barely had to ask for anything anymore. She could do her work or go about her day and he’d be the one asking the staff to do things, and following up to assure they were done. It was easier for everyone this way, anyways: Mermista could be intimidating with her stone-faced demeanor and deadpan manner of speaking, Sea Hawk always had a smile on his face and his voice was super soothing and pleasant to listen to. 

Other than the occasional hiccup with someone from his past, Sea Hawk had taken to running the kingdom at her side like it was second nature to him. She was glad, too, because he’d probably be doing a lot on his own for at least a few weeks after the baby was born while they figured out parenthood and she recovered from giving birth. 

If it even got that— _ no, don’t think like that, it has to. _

Mermista was far too used to this whole routine now. The cool gel on her stomach, the cold feeling of the ultrasound wand. Sea Hawk gripping her arm like a lifeline as they held their breaths waiting to see the little baby on the screen. Sea Hawk’s love struck face as he beamed at the little life they created. 

“Their heartbeat is exactly where I’d like it to be,” Dr. Ostrea said cheerfully. “I still think we should go ahead and do biweekly appointments until you’re 14 weeks along.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Mermista said as she wiped off the gel from her stomach. She had managed to keep breakfast down today, but Sea Hawk was already asking about what they could do to help with the nausea if and when it came back. Dr. Ostrea recommended some lozenges and sent them home with a bag. 

Mermista felt lighter on her feet and overall better today, so she dragged Sea Hawk into her office to catch up on a tower of paperwork. There were some topics she gave to him by default—anything to do with marine surveys or the docks, for example—and some things her eyes would glaze over while she was reading that he’d pull from her hands and offer her the bullet points if he didn’t feel like he could make the decision on his own. 

By the time the butler knocked on the door to announce lunch was ready, the pile of documents that just needed to be sealed and mailed out was the same height of the pile that they’d yet to work through. 

“Stars, why don’t I have you do this with me every day,” Mermista asked as she looked over their work. 

“Because you like to be the one in control of everything,” Sea Hawk grinned. 

“Don’t ever talk to me like that again,” Mermista glared and threw a crumpled piece of scrap paper at him, but he just laughed as he dodged it. 

“I love you,” he replied with a lazy grin, and Mermista rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, I love you, too, my significant annoyance.” 

* * *

“Babe. Babe. Babe.” Mermista was shaking Sea Hawk awake from his deep sleep. 

“Wassat..?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Mermista was on her knees next to him on the bed, leaning over him. 

“Hey,” she said, looking at him with pleading eyes. 

“What’s wrong, dearest?” He sat up, and Mermista sat back on her heels. 

“Can you get me a glass of chocolate milk?”

“Chocolate… Mermista, you hate milk.” 

“I know, but I can’t sleep and it just sounds really good right now, maybe like, almond milk or something, but like, chocolate milk.” 

“Yeah, yeah, of course, dearest, I’ll be right back.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he got up. 

“Thank you, I love you.” 

When he came back, she had her comforter wrapped around her as she sat up against the headboard. She took a sip of the milk and closed her eyes happily. 

“Holy crap, this is so good, babe, thank you.” 

“Of course, my princess,” Sea Hawk smiled, watching her in amusement as she finished the glass in a few big gulps. “Want more?”

“No, that was perfect,” Mermista sighed as she placed the empty glass on the nightstand, flicking off the lamp. She cuddled up to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You are amazing.” 

Sea Hawk chuckled, returning the kiss. “At your service, my love.” 

“No, I mean it,” Mermista said. She trailed her fingers down his bare chest, over his stomach, and he realized where they were heading. “And I wanna show you just how amazing I think you are.” 


	15. push and pull

After far too many weeks of letting nausea and fatigue keep her down, Mermista decided that she couldn’t just lay around being precious anymore. She had a kingdom to run, after all, and she couldn’t exactly do that from the comfort of her bed. 

Sea Hawk was taking the role of the doting husband  _ very _ seriously, but Mermista was finding it more and more irritating by the day. She was trying not to take it out on him—after all, they both wanted this, didn’t they? But she couldn’t help that some of the annoying things he did, that she’d grown to either love or at the bare minimum  _ tolerate  _ over the years, were starting to grate on her again, plucking at her nerves until she was ready to snap. 

Mermista was bloated, and tired, and stressed, and she needed  _ space _ . And right now, in the small hours of the morning when the sun’s light was just barely beginning to creep across their bedroom, her loving husband was in her space and it was driving her insane. 

“Sea Hawk, get off of me,” she growled as she shoved his sleeping form off of her, startling him awake.

“Hmm? Dearest, are you okay?” Sea Hawk asked sleepily, sitting up. 

“I’m fine, just give me some space!” Mermista turned her back to him, wrapping her arms around her pillow and burying her face in it. She flinched away from Sea Hawk’s hand, placed gently on her back, elbowing his arm away. “Don’t fucking touch me!” 

“Mermista, I—“

“Just shut up and leave me alone!” 

Sea Hawk recoiled from her words, spoken in a tone he hadn’t heard in years. 

“O-okay,” he whispered, turning over to his side of the bed and tried to reassure himself that it was just hormones, that she’d be fine by breakfast. He didn’t manage to fall back to sleep, instead tossing and turning. Worry plagued his mind and made it impossible to fall back to sleep as he backtracked over everything he’d done in the last few days that may have upset her. 

Eventually he got out of bed, got dressed and went down to his ship with his tracker pad. 

* * *

Bright Moon caught the sunrise later than Salineas did, so its rays hadn’t even touched the royal bedchambers when Bow woke up to Sea Hawk’s call. He’d always been a light sleeper, a habit from wartime that was both a curse and a blessing when it came to parenting. 

As soon as he saw Sea Hawk’s name on the call, he dropped the volume to just one bump above mute before answering. 

Bow barely got out his whispered “Hey, buddy!” before Sea Hawk began sobbing on the screen. 

“MERM-I-I-ISTA HAA-A-ATES ME AND I D-DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I DID WRONG!” he wailed.

Bow sat up in the bed, propping the tracker pad on his knees as he contemplated leaving the room to continue this conversation, but he was hoping it wouldn’t last too long and he could catch a few more minutes of sleep before Angello was up and ready to start the day. There was the chance of waking up and irritating Glimmer, who was 40 weeks pregnant with a little girl who was showing  _ no _ signs of being ready to come out. Late pregnancy had Glimmer feeling grumpier than ever, so Bow had a pretty good idea of what Sea Hawk was dealing with in the angry wife department. 

“Hey, hey, calm down buddy. I’m sure it’s okay. What happened?”

Sea Hawk went over the details of the last couple of days, choking down sobs and motioning wildly with his hands. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as far as the Salinean rulers’ relationship went. 

“Sea Hawk, buddy, you know Mermista is kind of just…  _ like that _ , right?” Bow was trying to keep his language tactful, but there were only so many ways you could tell someone their wife was kind of always moody and irritable. 

“She isn’t when it’s just the two of us!” Sea Hawk cried. How did the man manage to be so  _ loud _ ?

Not a moment later, Bow felt a warm hand on his arm. He turned to smile at Glimmer and only got a glimpse of her irritated face before the scene changed in a flash of glitter, and he was dumped on his ass aboard Sea Hawk’s ship.

“GLIMMER, I’M NOT WEARING PANTS—“ he shouted, too late as she had teleported herself back to their bed alone. 

Sea Hawk, who had never quite gotten used to the whole teleporting thing, fell from the crate he’d been sitting on with a yelp at Bow’s sudden and scantily-clad appearance. 

Bow got to his feet, dusting himself off to the best of his ability given that he was only wearing a cropped tank-top and boxers, his usual sleeping attire. 

“Well, looks like we are both in the wormhouse,” Bow sighed as he ended the call and wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his biceps. Even Salineas was chilly in February. “You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pair of pants and a jacket I could borrow, would you?” 

Sea Hawk had also picked himself up, finally over his shock which had distracted him momentarily from his sorrows. “Yeah, in the cabin below deck, come down with me.” 

Bow followed the sniffling older man below the deck and into his sleeping chamber. The bed was perfectly made and a fine layer of sea salt and dust covered the flat surfaces in the room. Sea Hawk handed him a pair of pants and a sweatshirt, and Bow thanked him before pulling them on. They were a little tight—Sea Hawk might have been taller, but Bow had filled out in his twenties and he was broader now. 

They decided maybe a walk would be good for both of them, so Bow borrowed a pair of slightly too big sneakers and they found themselves walking along the coastal cliff sides. 

“Is Mermista pregnant?” Bow asked after they were far enough away from any eavesdroppers. Sea Hawk’s dark eyes met his, sad and panicked. “I know that… you guys didn’t want to tell anyone in the past before a certain amount of time, but I won’t tell anyone if you tell me she is, Sea Hawk. I just want to know how I can help.” 

“We’re  _ so _ close,” Sea Hawk admitted. “Eleven weeks. Her doctor said that once she hits twelve, she will be in the clear.” 

“That’s amazing, Sea Hawk!” Bow said, throwing his arms around his friend. “One more week? That’s nothing. This has to be the time, right? Plus, Glimmer said she’s doing some treatment?”

“Yeah, she’s getting injections every other week of a hormone, progesterone. It’s supposed to…” he trailed off, trying to find the thought before rattling off: “Promote healthy uterine lining throughout the pregnancy, which is essential for healthy fetal development.” 

“Wow, Sea Hawk, you… really know this stuff.”

“I pay attention and take notes at her appointments. I care so much about her, Bow!” Sea Hawk choked out another sob. “I love her and this baby so much, it kills me to know I’ve upset her and I don’t even know how!”

Bow couldn’t help but laugh. “Sea Hawk. Sea Hawk. Buddy. She’s not mad at you.” 

“She practically kicked me out of bed! She hasn’t done that since I came home covered in skunk-squid ink!” 

“She’s pregnant, dude. She’s got a little person growing inside of her. It’s making her feel all sorts of things out of context, and sometimes that thing is anger. You just happened to get the brunt of it this time. Trust me. You saw how Glimmer was. The reason I’m here right now instead of in my bed is because I woke Glimmer up talking to you in bed instead of leaving the room. She is  _ cranky. _ But I know she still loves me, she’s just feeling a lot of other things, too.”

“I suppose…” 

“Besides! Remember when Glimmer was pregnant with Angello and she made me stay here for a week because she didn’t even want to look at me? Because I got her pregnant?  _ Seven _ months into her pregnancy? This isn’t even that bad!”

The memory of an enraged Glimmer dropping Bow off in the middle of dinner one night did bring a chuckle from Sea Hawk’s chest. They ended up spending the week finding a breakthrough in their astral navigation maps, and Mermista enjoyed having another victim for Mer-Mysteries night. 

Bow kept telling Sea Hawk stories about Glimmer’s hormone-charged meltdowns during this pregnancy and the last one, and by the time they were back on the castle grounds, Sea Hawk was in high spirits. 

Mermista was hysterical when they entered the castle, throwing herself into Sea Hawk’s arms the moment he walked through the door choking out an apology between sobs. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you!"

Bow thought he might be dreaming, because he’d never seen Mermista show this much emotion, ever. Even when Salineas fell, her eyes glazed over and tears fell slowly. This was… a side of Mermista he couldn’t even imagine. 

“I-I thought you left me,” Mermista cried as she pulled back from Sea Hawk, holding his face in her shaking hands. “Please don’t ever do that to me again.” Her tone sounded broken rather than commanding, as if she thought Sea Hawk would, as if Sea Hawk  _ could _ ever leave her. 

“Mermista, I would never leave you,” Sea Hawk said, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “I was just giving you the space you asked for, and I gave Bow a call, and well…” 

Mermista’s eyes widened as she realized it wasn’t just the two of them in the entrance of the castle. “Fuck, Bow, what are you doing here?” Her voice cracked and she buried her flushed, embarrassed face in Sea Hawk’s chest. 

“It’s a long story,” Bow sighed.

“Wanna hear it over breakfast, darling?” Sea Hawk offered.

“I want to throw myself into the ocean and never come back up ,” Mermista groaned. 


	16. you’re not alone

“Damn, I’ve never been more jealous of that woman’s magic,” Mermista said after hearing the story of how Bow ended up in Salineas that morning. “What I’d give to be able to dump your ass halfway across the world sometimes.”

Sea Hawk chuckled at that. “You would never, you’d miss me too much.” 

Mermista shot a glare his way, but she didn’t argue, not after this morning’s embarrassing breakdown. 

“How’s Glimmer doing, other than that?” Mermista asked. “Wasn’t she due last week?” 

“Yeah, but the baby doesn’t seem to want to come out, so she’s pretty grumpy about it. Angello’s been pretty fussy, too, he’s got teeth coming in and he wants to meet his little sister so bad!” 

“I actually can’t believe Glimmer just dumped you here like that with the baby’s arrival so close.”

“Yeah, well, she’s tough. She can do it without me. I just don’t want her to have to.”

“Well then, I’ll start getting the ship ready so we can get you back to your lovely wife!” Sea Hawk said, jumping up from his seat and running out of the dining room. 

Mermista shook her head in her husband’s direction, then she and Bow looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. Bow had always been kind to her, and a wonderful friend to Sea Hawk. Sea Hawk had paraphrased enough stories about the couple that Mermista knew Glimmer had a temper and outbursts of her own, and Bow handled them with grace and tact. It made perfect sense why he was the first person Sea Hawk called when she’d had one out of nowhere. He was resourceful, funny and clever, and he’d been doing a great job ruling Bright Moon by Glimmer’s side while still making time to go around to visit the other kingdoms and ensure they were all doing alright and had everything they needed to rebuild. They’d fought side by side on many occasions during the war, and he’d been the first person to offer her comfort the day Salineas fell under the Horde. Still, they’d never actually been in a room together alone before, and it made her feel awkward and nervous. 

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out suddenly. 

“Oh!” Bow responded quickly, looking up from his hands. “Congratulations!” 

“I just, hormones, you know?” Mermista crossed her arms and looked away. “I didn’t want you to think I was getting soft.” 

“I would never think such a thing, Mermista.” 

“Good. ‘Cause I could still kick anyone’s ass.” 

“I’m sure you can!”

He was being too… unlike himself right now. “Sea Hawk already told you, didn’t he?”

Bow’s voice cracked when he tried to deny it, and Mermista rubbed her temples.

“You’re a worse liar than he is,” she sighed. “But it’s better for him, I think, to have someone to confide in. He’s not the one to suffer in silence, and maybe it was a bit selfish of me to make him do that because I can’t handle people feeling sorry for me. And this isn’t just about me anymore.” She placed a hand on her lower stomach, touching the barely-there swell. 

“You were just doing what you thought was best,” Bow offered. 

“I was,” Mermista agreed. “I just need to really consider that my feelings aren’t the only ones that matter anymore.” 

“It’s okay to want to take care of yourself, Mermista. I know I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through, but you know… Micah and I discussed it. After you guys did break the news to us. And he told me that he and Angella struggled to have Glimmer.” 

“Angella did?” Mermista tilted her head to the side. That had to be why Micah was so calm and understanding about everything, not to mention a valuable resource.

Bow nodded. “He didn’t go into detail, but he explained to me how hard it was on Angella, especially ruling her kingdom while they were struggling silently. She didn’t have close friends she could confide in, which made it more difficult. The Princess Alliance back then wasn’t like it is now.” 

He didn’t have to explain, Mermista knew exactly what they meant. Their parents as a whole constantly argued and bickered about how to handle the horde. Instead of fighting together, they ended up fighting each other. She knew at one time her mom had been close to Angella, but they must have grown apart by then if Angella had felt alone. 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, we’re here for you, Mermista. You don’t have to suffer alone.”

“Thanks, Bow. Really.” Mermista offered him a smile. 

“That’s what friends are for!” He reached out and placed a hand on her arm, and she didn’t flinch away like she would have in the past. 

“Do you think we should bring a couple days worth of clothes with us to Bright Moon? Just in case?” 

“Might be a good idea, I know if something does happen, we could use the help. And if something doesn’t, well, we could always use the company!” 

* * *

Bow had called Glimmer from the ship, so she wasn’t surprised when they’d arrived on the shores of Bright Moon. By the time they’d joined her inside of the castle, Glimmer looked a little apologetic, telling Bow she was sorry for doing that to him, especially once she saw him in Sea Hawk’s clothes. The tiny queen’s belly was huge now, and she leaned into Bow as they walked. Bow comforted her, placing a hand on her back to support her. 

“Sorry for just dumping Bow on you like that and then making you bring him back,” Glimmer sighed as she relaxed onto the couch that Bow led her to. “Teleporting him to Salineas and back took a lot out of me today."

“It was nice to have him around,” Mermista replied, and Bow mirrored her smile. “You guys are always welcome in Salineas, really.”

Just after everyone had settled in, the door to the sitting room opened and Angello came running in, Micah following after him. 

“Mermista! Sea Hawk! What a pleasant surprise!” Micah said, leaning down to greet Mermista with a kiss on the cheek and placing a hand on Sea Hawk’s shoulder. Angello grabbed onto Mermista’s skirt, and she helped him into her lap before he could pull too hard on it. “How have the two of you been?” 

The catching up went on for a while, Glimmer shifting uncomfortably from time to time. 

“Are you okay?” Mermista asked after Glimmer made a particularly pained face. 

“Just having early contractions. It’s normal, just annoying.” 

“Do you want a pain blocker?” Micah asked. 

“No, it’s fine,” Glimmer grimaced. “I want to be able to tell when they start happening closer together. Talking is distracting enough. Mermista. When we went to Mystacor, you went to a fertility doctor, right? How’s that been going?”

Mermista and Sea Hawk exchanged a glance, and Bow looked away as Micah leaned forward, curious for the answer as well. Angello had climbed over to Sea Hawk’s lap, and he gave her a wide grin, showing off all of his little white teeth. Somehow, that was the encouragement she needed, 

“I’m pregnant,” Mermista said finally. 

“That’s wonderful!” Micah said, and she could see that tears were glistening at the corners of his eyes. 

“Oh, I’m so happy for you guys,” Glimmer said. 

Sea Hawk snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss to her temple, and Angello tried to imitate the action, smacking a wet kiss to her cheek that made her laugh. “Stars, I hope our kid is as sweet as yours,” she said suddenly. 

Next to her, Sea Hawk inhaled sharply. This was the first time since the first pregnancy that Mermista had spoken of a future for any of their babies. From time to time, when she thought she was alone, he had overheard her talking to the baby. Sometimes it was just telling them she loved them, and other times she’d ask them to be kind to her today because she had things to do and couldn’t spend the whole day throwing up. He tucked that sentiment away, wanting to bring it up later when they were alone. 

The moment was interrupted as Glimmer cursed under her breath, then groaned loudly, pulling everyone’s attention to her and the sudden appearance of a wet spot on her leggings.

“That was a bad one,” she panted, eyes focused on the ceiling. 

“Glimmer, I think your…” Mermista trailed off, feeling a rush of secondhand embarrassment wash over her. “I think your water broke.”


	17. worth it

Mermista and Sea Hawk’s spontaneous visit to Bright Moon worked out in everyone’s favor. Micah busied himself rounding up Glimmer’s obstetrician and midwives while Bow talked her through her next few contractions. Angello was very confused and starting to get upset at the sight of his mom in pain. 

“Mermista, do you mind taking him?”

“Yeah, of course!” Mermista was happy to have something to do other than awkwardly stand by, unable to help while Glimmer was in pain. 

The toddler was currently kneeling next to Glimmer on the couch, patting her stomach. “No hurt mommy. I kiss it better!” He pressed a kiss to her belly and the image made Mermista tear up. 

“Thank you, sweetie,” Glimmer said, rubbing his back. “Can you do mommy a favor and go with Mermista and Sea Hawk? They’re gonna play with you! And if you’re a good boy for them, you’ll get to play with your little sister!”

Angello’s eyes widened. “Sissy here?”

“Not yet! But she will be soon, if you go play with Mermista and Sea Hawk!” 

“Otay!”

“Will you show us your bedroom, little one?” Sea Hawk asked Angello, who excitedly agreed as he slid off of the couch. 

As they followed him down the hallway and assisted him up the stairs, Sea Hawk turned to Mermista with a slightly panicked look on his face. 

“What?” Mermista asked.

“Do you think he can teleport?” Sea Hawk’s voice was barely above a whisper, as if the mention of the word would set the toddler off. 

“How unhinged do you think Glimmer is?” Mermista laughed. “My parents didn’t let me connect to the Pearl until I was nine. I can’t imagine Glimmer would want a teleporting toddler. Besides, he might have gotten different powers anyways. The Pearl’s powers are fairly consistent with the firstborn, but the Moonstone is always different. So maybe he’ll get, like, invisibility. Or telekinesis!” 

“Those are all horrifying things to be given to a toddler.” 

“Yep.” 

“Wait, when you said firstborn, what… other powers could the Pearl have given you?” 

Mermista smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” 

“I would!”

Mermista kept walking ahead of him, following the toddler.

“Mermista?”

Glimmer was in labor for what seemed like forever. 

Mermista knew Glimmer could be loud, but she never knew she could be _this_ loud as the Queen’s yelling could be heard from the floor below them. 

“Bow! If you ever touch me again after this, I swear—!”

Mermista was curled up into Sea Hawk’s lap as they sat on the window seat in Angello’s nursery. Glimmer’s outburst made her chuckle, and she leaned back against Sea Hawk’s chest to look at him. 

“That’s gonna be me, probably, in six months,” she whispered. They’d just put Angello down for a mid-afternoon nap and weren’t sure what to do with themselves. They didn’t want to interrupt what was happening downstairs, and they didn’t know if they should leave Angello alone. 

“You know, dearest, until earlier today you haven’t spoken of our little one’s future before.” He tightened his embrace, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I know,” Mermista admitted. “I just… things feel so different with this one. And I feel like I do see a future for him.” 

“Him?” Sea Hawk asked, bemused. 

Mermista nodded. “I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s going to be a boy.” Then, she shuddered. “A little mini you running around is a scary idea.”

“Ah, I wasn’t too terrible as a kid. I became a handful as I got older, under the influence of a beautiful and feisty Princess.” They both laughed, and he placed his hands on her stomach, his voice growing wistful. “A boy, huh? I never had a preference, but a little Prince would be nice. I could teach him to sail!” 

“You could teach our daughters to sail, too, you know,” Mermista said, then realized she opened a whole other can of worms as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth. 

“So you _do_ want more than one?” Sea Hawk was trying and failing to hide the excitement in his voice.

“Let’s see how this one goes before we get too ahead of ourselves,” Mermista said, rubbing his arm as she looked out the window over the courtyard. “But yeah, I didn’t have any siblings growing up because who wants to have a bunch of kids in the middle of a war? I think… I think it would be nice to give our kid a sibling or two.” 

Their conversation was cut short when Mermista spotted Catra and Melog leisurely walking through the courtyard to the castle. 

“I wonder what Catra’s doing here? Do you think they called her?” Sea Hawk shrugged, making a noncommittal noise. “Mind staying here with Angello while I go catch up with her?” 

“Of course, dearest. I’ll be here.” 

“Hey, fur ball, did Glimmer call you?” Mermista asked when she found Catra in the hallway.

“I thought I smelled fish,” Catra smirked. Mermista rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. Melog rubbed up against her side, and she scratched the top of his head. “I actually just came by to do Guard Captain stuff, we have a few new hires who need their heads knocked together. I saw your ship and can hear Glimmer yelling from a mile away, so I figured the baby was coming. Didn’t expect to see you here, though.” 

“Yeah, we didn’t either,” Mermista laughed. She told Catra what had happened that morning, leaving out the part about making Sea Hawk upset. 

“She trusted the two of you with Angello?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Mermista asked, a bit offended.

“Your husband is a well-known arsonist and former pirate,” Catra pointed out.

“Yeah, but he was on our side, he only attacked and raided horde ships,” Mermista replied. “As far as the arson, well, that’s what I’m here for, horde soldier.”

“Plus, I didn’t think either of you had much experience with kids.”

“You’re right there, but we’ve figured it out for the most part so far.” 

“I guess you’re pretty smart,” Catra mused. “Plus it’ll be good practice for you.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I can…” Catra looked away awkwardly. “I can smell that you’re pregnant. Congratulations.”

Well, the secret was pretty much out, anyways, at this point. Mermista nodded. “Thanks, Catra.”

“Yeah, whatever. If the two of you are babysitting for free, let me know next time. Adora and I haven’t been on a proper date in forever.” 

Mermista snorted. “What, are you just gonna swing by Salineas on Swift Wind and drop them off?”

“For some time away from two girls who can hear _everything_? It’s worth the trip.” 

“I get your point,” Mermista said. “I don’t really know what to expect,” she admitted, placing a hand on her stomach absentmindedly. 

“It’s normal to be nervous,” Catra said with a shrug. “I’m still worried I’ll fuck ‘em up like Shadow Weaver did to us, but it helps to know we have the support of our friends around. ‘It takes a village’ and all that bull.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’d ever do that,” Mermista said. “But I get it. I’ve got a lot of my dad’s mannerisms, and I’m worried about becoming like him. I just have to remind myself that I’m not him, I’m my own person, and I don’t have to do things the way he did.”

“Sometimes it feels like the war never really ended, since we’re still playing the shit hands we were dealt.” 

Mermista nodded. “But it is over,” she affirmed, something she picked up from therapy. “And we just have to do what we think is best and fix our mistakes as we make them.”

“I guess. Let me know if you guys need any help. I’ll be here for a few hours. I’ve gotta go deal with these two idiots,” Catra said as they ended up in front of the guard’s office. Through the door’s window, Mermista could see two boys in their early twenties sitting in front of the desk, looking bored.

“Good luck,” Mermista said with a smirk, before heading back up the stairs to Angello’s nursery. 

Sea Hawk had fallen asleep on the window seat, reminding Mermista that it was her outburst that had him sleep deprived in the first place. She covered him with a blanket and started picking up the toys scattered about the nursery, putting them in their respective homes. 

She wasn’t her father, and she didn’t want to push Sea Hawk away like that anymore. Just because he could take it and bounce back from it didn’t mean he should have to. From day one, he’d committed his entire life to her. She’d worked so hard to let herself love him back after her dad had left, after everything that happened during the war, and she wasn’t about to let some hormones get in the way of her progress. He deserved better. 

“Dearest?”

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Mermista said quietly, walking over.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Sea Hawk said, stifling a yawn.

“It’s fine, I’m sure you needed it.” He opened his arms and she joined him on the window seat again, cuddling up to him as they adjusted to the best of their abilities to both lay on it at the same time. 

“I’m sorry about this morning,” Mermista said. “I just… don’t know what came over me.” 

“It’s okay, my love. Bow said it was most likely just hormones overwhelming you.” 

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I have to take it out on you,” Mermista pointed out. 

“As long as you don’t start beating me up, I think I’ll be okay,” Sea Hawk chuckled. He put his hand on her stomach and smiled. “This makes it all worth it, anyways.”


	18. skye of bright moon

Mermista and Angello had teamed up against Sea Hawk during bath time, and by the end of it there was more water on him and the floor than there was in the tub. Angello looked on in sheer amazement as Mermista used her magic to gather it all up to deposit back into the tub, then laughed as she used it to dry him and Sea Hawk off. 

“Tickle!” He shrieked, wriggling in Sea Hawk’s arms. 

“Oh, does it?” Sea Hawk asked, before tickling him through the towel. He shrieked again, laughing, and the couple laughed with him. 

Just after they put him to bed for the night, Bow came down to check on everyone. 

“We’re fine, how’s Glimmer and the baby?” Mermista asked immediately. 

Bow grinned. “They’re both absolutely beautiful. Want to meet her?” 

Mermista nodded, grinning, and Sea Hawk grabbed and squeezed her hand with a grin of his own as they followed Bow to the room where Glimmer was recovering. Glimmer was holding the little girl, looking at her with this dazed and lovestruck gaze, and she didn’t even look up when everyone walked in. 

“Catra said she was going to grab Adora,” Bow said to her. “They’ll be here soonish, but Mermista and Sea Hawk wanted to meet her.”

“Hey, guys,” Glimmer said sleepily. “Thanks for taking care of Angello today,” she said. “I feel bad for dumping all of this on the two of you.” 

“We’ve been having a blast, honestly,” Sea Hawk said enthusiastically, taking the seat that Bow offered him. 

“It’s not how I expected the day to go when I woke up, but I’m not unhappy with how it’s turned out,” Mermista added. 

“Well, guys, meet Skye Michaela Moon,” Bow announced excitedly. He looked just as lovestuck by the infant as Glimmer was, and Mermista couldn’t wait to see that look on her own husband’s face.

“She’s so tiny,” Mermista gushed, standing at the side of her bed. 

“Do you want to hold her?” Glimmer offered, and Mermista nodded enthusiastically. She sat down next to Sea Hawk, and Bow took the baby from his wife and handed her to Mermista.

“Support her head like this, yeah, you got it!” Mermista had held a baby before, but that was two years ago now when Adora and Catra’s twins were born, and, well, she wasn’t going to get onto Bow for being a little protective of his baby girl. 

“She looks just like you, Glimmer,” Mermista said, gently caressing Skye’s little puff of pink hair. She stirred, then, opening her dark indigo eyes and yawning. The sight of the little one’s yawn made Mermista’s heart melt. “Hi, Skye, you’re beautiful,” she cooed. Skye’s eyes took a look at her face, then her focus shifted elsewhere as she made a little squeak. Her little hand wrapped around Mermista’s finger, and Mermista lost it. 

“What’s wrong, dearest?” Sea Hawk asked, leaning towards her to wipe the tears off of her cheek with a handkerchief.

“She’s just so freaking small and cute,” Mermista sighed. “Look at her, she’s perfect.” 

“Isn’t she?” Bow asked appreciatively, and Mermista let him take his daughter back so she could lean into Sea Hawk’s embrace. Sea Hawk pressed a kiss to her temple, wrapping his arms around her and putting his hands on her stomach. 

“My wife is so amazing, I can’t believe she made such a beautiful little girl,” Bow continued as he sat at the edge of the bed Glimmer was resting in. 

“How are you feeling?” Mermista asked Glimmer, who shrugged. 

“Sore, mostly. I’m glad it’s over though, and that everything went okay. She was a lot bigger than Angello was.” 

“Where’d your dad go?” Bow asked suddenly as he realized the older man was not present.

Glimmer shrugged, making a noncommittal noise. She rolled over onto her side, snuggling into the pillow. “All I know is, I’m ready for some sleep before this little girl gets hungry again.”

“Okay, sweetheart, please call if you need anything,” Bow said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“Uh-huh,” Glimmer said, her eyes closing, and Bow put the baby in a bassinet near the bed, then pushed it ahead as he led everyone out of the room. 

Adora and Catra were walking down the hallway when they exited the room. 

“Hey! How’s Glimmer doing?” Adora said, sounding a little breathless. “We came as fast as we could, we just wanted to make sure that the girls were settled with the sitter.”

“She’s fine, just tired,” Bow explained. 

“Is this Skye?” Adora said, leaning forward to look at the baby in the bassinet, her eyes sparkling. “She’s beautiful, Bow!” 

“Yeah, just what I thought, she looks like a squishy little potato,” Catra laughed. “You see one one-day-old baby, you’ve seen them all,” she explained at Mermista’s puzzled look. 

“Mermista! Sea Hawk!” Adora said suddenly, standing up and looking at her. Mermista startled a bit at the sudden mention of her name, and Sea Hawk grabbed her arm. “Catra told me you guys are expecting now!” 

“Oh, yeah, ah… we weren’t planning on announcing for a few more weeks, but I guess since the cat’s out of the bag…” Mermista leveled her gaze at Catra, who was studying her claws closely. 

“I’m so happy for you guys!” Adora threw her arms around Mermista’s neck, causing her face to flush a 

deep crimson as she was basically sandwiched between two of the hottest people she knew. 

* * *

They ended up staying in Bright Moon for a few more days before they had to return to Salineas. Mermista was due to have her twelve-week ultrasound, and they were expecting Sea Hawk’s dad and sister. They hadn’t shared the news with them yet, and Sea Hawk was dying to tell them at this point. Still, it wasn’t something he wanted to say over the tracker pad, so they headed home. 

Mermista looked at herself in the floor-length mirror in the bathroom when they got home. “I think I’ve popped, babe,” she said, running her hand over her stomach which was now starting to round out towards the bottom. “It doesn’t look like I just ate too much ice cream anymore, I really look pregnant.” 

Sea Hawk finished brushing his teeth, rinsed out his mouth and then walked over so he could embrace her from behind, placing his hands over hers. “You look beautiful,” he said, hugging her closely and sniffling. “Stars, you’re so gorgeous, Mermista. I can’t believe you’re with me. And now you’re carrying our child.” 

“Hey, hey, I’m supposed to be the emotional one,” Mermista laughed, turning to face him and using her thumbs to wipe the tears off of his face. “ _That_ felt funny to say,” she laughed again. 

Sea Hawk chuckled, too, before saying, “I know, I’m just so happy. For us. For our baby. For our future.” 

He carried that sentimental attitude all the way to the doctors appointment. 

“How are we feeling?” Dr. Ostrea asked in her usual chipper tone. 

“Tired, but good overall,” Mermista answered. “I haven’t thrown up all week which has been super nice, but I have had some lower back pain.”

“That’s all normal when you are wrapping up your first trimester,” Dr. Ostrea said as she had Mermista put her heels in the exam table’s stirrups so she could do a pelvic exam. 

“And Dad, how are you feeling?”

“Overwhelming excitement,” Sea Hawk announced with a big grin. “We are telling my dad and sister today, if all goes well in here.” 

“I’m sure that feels like a big relief,” Dr. Ostrea said.

“It really does!”

“I swear he’s been trembling like a chihuahua all day from the anticipation,” Mermista laughed, ruffling the hair at the back of his head. 

“Can you blame me, dearest?”

Dr. Ostrea said that the pelvic exam showed no anomalies, and moved on to the ultrasound. “Ready to see your little one again?”

“Yes!” Mermista said at the same time Sea Hawk exclaimed, “Of course!” Which just made Mermista laugh harder as he held her. 

“I’m glad to see you guys in such good spirits,” Dr. Ostrea grinned as she spread the cool gel on Mermista’s stomach. 

“It’s just such a relief to get here,” Mermista said. “Like a dream come true.”

“There they are! The heartbeat looks great!”

“Look at those little legs wiggling!” Sea Hawk asked, his eyes bright and watery. “Can you feel that?”

“No,” Mermista said, her eyebrows furrowing. “Should I be able to?”

“Oh no, not yet. They’re about the size of a sea turtle egg right now. You should expect to feel them moving around and kicking by 20 weeks, maybe a little sooner.”

The sound of that relaxed Mermista a bit, and she just let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the screen. “That’s our baby,” she said finally, tears starting to fall. “We made it.” 

“We made it,” Sea Hawk affirmed, pulling her into a hug that almost pulled her off of the table. 

“I can’t even begin to say how happy I am for the two of you,” Dr. Ostrea said, putting a hand on Mermisra’s wrist in a comforting way. 

“We couldn’t have done it without you, and without the work you’ve done with Dr. Freya,” Mermista said. “I can’t thank you enough.” 

“The pleasure is mine, your grace. Watching your mother go through her pregnancy with you, and now you having children of your own… it has been my greatest pleasure to serve Salineas in this way.”


	19. captain sparrow

“Uncle Sea Hawk!”

“Well! If it isn’t the fiercest pirate of all the seas in Etheria, Captain Sparrow!” Sea Hawk opened his arms wide to accept his nephew, who flung himself in them with all the force a six-year-old boy could muster. Sea Hawk turned the momentum into a spin, asking “How’s my favorite nephew doing!?”

“I’m your only nephew!” Sparrow frowned. 

“Therefore you must be my favorite!” Sea Hawk responded cheerfully. 

“Aunt ‘Mista!” Sparrow exclaimed, wiggling out of his uncle’s grasp and rushing to throw his arms around her waist. “I missed you!” 

“I missed you too, kiddo!” Mermista responded, ruffling his hair. “Where’s your mom?”

“She’s helping pop-pop get settled into his room! Guess what we did on the way here!?”

Sparrow told them a story of a sea monster they had encountered on their way in from Snows, which had a shocking similarity to those told by his uncle, with the same dramatic flair and fabrication. “And I protected Mommy with the dagger you gave me!”

Mermista shot a glare at her husband, who grinned without making eye contact. 

“I was wondering where he got that thing,” a voice came from around the corner, and they came face to face with Sea Hawk’s older sister, Lark. “I should have known it was you.” She was smiling, but she looked tired as she hugged her brother. 

“I got my first dagger when I was five, Sparrow should have one, too,” Sea Hawk offered, but Lark and Mermista shook their heads at him. 

“We grew up in wartime, Sea Hawk. Sparrow doesn’t have to, so let’s wait until he’s at least 10 before giving him something he can use to cut off a finger with, please. Hey, Mermista.”

“Is everything okay?” Mermista asked as Lark gave her an uncharacteristically weak hug. 

“Yeah, the trip just wore us both out. Chasing that one around is a full time job,” Lark eyed her son, who was sticking his fingers in one of the magical water walls and laughing when fish came to kiss them. Sea Hawk was watching him with a look of pure adoration. “Dad won’t admit it, but his health isn’t as good as it’s always been, and you know how he tries to avoid hiring a crew if he can…”

“We can pay for it, if money is an issue,” Mermista offered, crossing her arms under her chest, but she already knew that the issue was one of pride, not of finances. 

“Thanks, sis, I’ll let him know.” Mermista still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Lark referring to her as a sister, but she wasn’t going to correct her. She knew Lark meant well, and if the term meant their rocky past was behind them, well, she wasn’t going to do anything to end that. She loved Sea Hawk’s family, in almost the same way she loved her mother. They didn’t come around too often, but his dad was super sweet and had a kind heart, and Lark was fiercely protective of her brother and son in the same way Mermista was of Sea Hawk and her kingdom. “He asked if he could rest until dinner, if you guys don’t mind leaving him be until then.” 

“Of course,” Mermista said. Sea Hawk looked a little pained, his dad’s declining health had been a bit of a sore subject for him, but he nodded and turned his attention to Sparrow. 

“Want to see if we can find any treasure on the beach!?” He asked, and Sparrow turned around with wide eyes, excitedly shouting his approval.

“To be honest with you, I could use a nap, too,” Lark said. 

“We’ll watch Sparrow,” Mermista agreed. “Take a nap, maybe have a nice hot bath or something. Grab a butler if you need anything, and just yell if you need us, okay?”

“Thanks, Mermista.” 

* * *

“My age is catching up to me,” Sea Hawk noted as they got ready for dinner with his family in the bedroom. “I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight.” 

“Mhmm,” Mermista agreed, only half paying attention to what he was saying as she tried to find another top loose enough to hide her little belly. “Just remember, you just signed up for seventeen more years of that.” 

“It’ll keep me young,” Sea Hawk grinned, coming up behind her and pressing a kiss to her cheek as he caressed her stomach. “And it’ll be so, so worth it.” 

“Just so you know, we aren’t naming the kid after a bird,” Mermista warned, pulling her chosen top on. 

Sea Hawk’s mustache drooped. “But dearest, it’s tradition!” 

“Not my tradition,” Mermista laughed, turning around to smooth his mustache out with her thumb before pressing her lips to his softly. He deepened the kiss, cradling the back of her head with one hand while he pulled her closer by the waist with the other. 

“Middle name?” Sea Hawk asked as he pressed his forehead to hers. 

“Maybe I can work with that,” Mermista compromised, smoothing out the lapels of his jacket before heading out into the hallway. “Come on, I’m excited to see the look on your dad’s face when we tell them.” 

Sea Hawk beamed at her, a new purpose in his step as he looped his arm through hers. He shuddered in anticipation. “Dad’s going to be so happy,” he grinned, wiping his eyes with his free hand. 

“Don’t start crying yet, you’ll ruin the surprise,” Mermista teased, bumping him with her hip. 

Dinner started out casually, both Lark and Sea Hawk’s dad, Jay, were looking much better after some rest. After everyone wrapped up the final course Mermista took Sea Hawk’s hand. 

“Would you mind joining us in the solarium for dessert?” Sea Hawk asked on cue. Sparrow jumped up from his seat excitedly, and with a little bit of direction from his uncle, led the way to the sitting room. It had massive windows and skylights that let in all of the light from the moons, so there was little need for interior lighting. Still, Mermista flipped on the lights anyways -- she wanted to make sure they could see everything. 

“So, we have some news we wanted to share,” she began after everyone settled down, pulling out the envelope she had tucked into a book on the coffee table earlier that day.

She pulled out two photocopies of the ultrasound and passed them over to Lark and Jay as Sea Hawk announced: “We’re going to have a baby!”

“Wow! And everything’s going good with the pregnancy?” Lark asked, showing the picture to Sparrow, who had abandoned his ice cream and was about to fall out of his chair. 

“That doesn’t look like a baby,” he said, wrinkling his nose. 

“Well, they’re still growing, sweetie. You looked like that once, too. Look, there’s their head…” Lark pointed out. 

“Everything’s going great!” Sea Hawk grinned. 

“Yep, just entered the second trimester, we didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up this time around,” Mermista said, remembering how hard it was to tell them when she’d lost the first pregnancy so soon after Sea Hawk had announced it so he could conduct his surprise nursery remodel. 

“Dad..?” Sea Hawk asked, and everyone turned to the bearded man who was sitting in an overstuffed armchair. He had one hand covering his mouth as the other gripped the photograph tightly, and he was tearing up.

Jay looked up from the photo and sobbed: “They’re so beautiful!” He jumped up and threw his arms around Mermista, pulling Sea Hawk in for the hug, too. 

This was the reaction Mermista expected from him, as there was no question as to where Sea Hawk got his emotional tendencies from. Lark’s more calm reaction was expected, too. Mermista imagined she took after their mother, who Sea Hawk described as a level-headed and tough woman with a heart of gold. 

Sea Hawk pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over to his father, and his dad thanked him, sitting back down before wiping his face and blowing his nose. “This is so wonderful, I’m gonna be a pop-pop again!”

“Have you guys thought about names yet?” Lark asked, setting the ultrasound on the coffee table where it would be safe from rogue ice cream droplets at the hands of her son. 

“Not really,” Mermista said. “We wanted to wait until we knew the pregnancy was viable before we got our hopes up.” 

Lark nodded. “Makes sense. Actually, dad and I had some news of our own we wanted to share…” 

“What’s going on?” Sea Hawk asked, his voice laced with concern. 

“The weather up in Snows isn’t agreeing with these old bones anymore,” Jay began. “So we were thinking of moving down here, not only to be closer to the two of you, but for my health, too.” 

“We can arrange for one or two of the guest houses to be cleaned up for you guys if you want to stay on the property,” Mermista said immediately. She and Sea Hawk had figured this would probably happen sooner or later, and she wouldn’t complain about them being a little closer to home. It would take a lot of stress off of Sea Hawk’s shoulders knowing they weren’t very far away anymore. 

“Thanks, Mermista, that means a lot,” Lark said. “But we’ve been looking at a few cottages a little bit north of here, I don’t think dad’s ready to get rid of the mountains yet.”

“Well, let me know if you guys need anything, please. Money, furniture, anything--I mean it,” Mermista said seriously. “You guys are as much my family as Sea Hawk is.”

“What’s going to happen to the cabin?” Sea Hawk asked.

“We were thinking of selling it,” Lark said, avoiding eye contact. “So we can pay for the move.” 

Sea Hawk looked at Mermista and she nodded. “Send me the details, we can buy it. That way it can stay in the family.” She knew how much Sea Hawk’s childhood home meant to him, even if he hadn’t lived there in decades. They could use it when they visited Snows to see Frosta, or maybe Sparrow or one of their future kids would want to live there. Either way, this way Sea Hawk could keep a piece of his childhood and his family would be taken care of. 

“This is so exciting,” Sea Hawk was beaming again, tearing up now. “Our family is growing and getting closer at the same time.” 


	20. flutters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Sea Hawk sings is "Song of the Sea (Lullaby)" by Nolwenn Leroy. I do not claim any rights to this.

“That smells good! What’s it for?” Sea Hawk asked as he watched Mermista spread lotion on her swelling stomach. 

“It’s a body butter from Mystacor to hopefully prevent stretch marks, Glimmer sent it to me.” At 18 weeks now, there wasn’t any more hiding the pregnancy in her day to day clothes. She swore Glimmer wasn’t this big at 18 weeks, and neither were Netossa or Adora. Lark had comforted her a few days before saying that she was probably around the same size at this point in her pregnancy, saying that in their family, kids were just bigger. 

“May I?” Sea Hawk asked, holding out a hand for the jar. Mermista handed it over, and laid back on the bed as he gently massaged her belly, his calloused fingertips rough and comforting on her smooth skin. She sighed as she relaxed into the bed, and he pressed a gentle kiss to a spot just below her navel before he began to sing softly. 

“Hush now, my darling, close your eyes and sleep.

Waltzing the waves, diving in the deep.

Stars are shining bright; the wind is on the rise,

Whispering words of long lost lullabies.”

Mermista sat up suddenly, placing a hand on her lower belly with a shocked look on her face. 

“What’s wrong?” Sea Hawk asked worriedly, sitting back as he closed the jar of body butter.

“I think they… I think he just kicked.” 

Sea Hawk gasped, and she took his hand and placed it where hers had just been. After a moment, she said, “Maybe keep singing?”

Sea Hawk nodded, clearing his throat before he started singing again: 

“Oh, won't you come with me where the moon is made of gold?

And in the morning sun, we'll be sailing.”

“There! Did you feel that?” 

Sea Hawk frowned, shaking his head, but he continued:

“Oh, won't you come with me, where the ocean meets the sky?

And as the clouds roll by, we'll sing the song of the sea.”

“You didn’t feel that, either?” Mermista frowned, mirroring Sea Hawk’s expression. “Maybe he’s too little,” she sighed, leaning back into her small nest of pillows.

“Maybe,” Sea Hawk said, disappointed. “What does it feel like?”

“It kind of just feels like I have a live fish wiggling around in there,” Mermista laughed. “Which, I guess isn’t that far off. I don’t know if he can transform in there?”

“We should ask Dr. Ostrea when we go back in next week,” Sea Hawk noted as he placed the jar on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. “Still thinking it’s a boy, huh?” 

Mermista nodded, opening her arms so he could snuggle into her, then pulling the blanket over them. “I can’t wait to find out for real next week,” she said, pressing a kiss to his hair. 

Time seemed to move slowly for the following week. Sea Hawk was in Snows helping his family pack up his childhood home and move into the cottage they found in Echo Bay, a small town just north of Salineas. This left Mermista plenty of time to fret and worry by herself, about Sea Hawk and his family’s safety, about the guy running of Port Salineas in his absence, about the baby. His little kicks punctuated her worries, and every time it happened it was just as surprising and wonderful as the first time. 

“Can you cool it with the back pain, kid? You’re killing me here.” Without Sea Hawk there to talk to her belly, she found herself doing it more. She’d gotten over the silly feeling it gave her a while ago, but was never sure if he could hear her. Laying in bed after eating probably a little too much ice cream after dinner, she was just super uncomfortable. She stole one of Sea Hawk’s pillows and snuggled it. It smelled like him, and that just made her miss him more. Salty Dog was curled up behind her, warming her back as she elevated her swollen feet on some pillows. He huffed his little dog sigh, adjusting his position before leaning back into her.

“Yeah, me too,” Mermista agreed, “But he’ll be home tomorrow.” That brought another little kick in her stomach, and she smiled as she closed her eyes, finally falling asleep. 

When Sea Hawk got home early in the morning, he found Mermista still sleeping in the bed. Salty Dog lifted his head at Sea Hawk’s entry, then returned to his previous position. 

“You know the drill, lad, you’re not supposed to be in here,” Sea Hawk said quietly as he removed his boots. When Salty Dog didn’t move, he walked over to that side of the bed and went to pick him up, only to find that Mermista had an arm thrown over him. His tail thumped against her thigh a few times, and the movement was enough to wake her up. 

“Mmm, hey, babe, what are you doing?” She mumbled sleepily. 

“I was just going to get Salty Dog out of here,” Sea Hawk replied. Mermista frowned and tightened her hold on the dog.

“No! We’re cuddling.” 

Sea Hawk stepped back and raised his hands. “Okay, okay, sorry, I just know you usually don’t want him in here.” 

Mermista looked down at Salty Dog, who licked her face, then back up at Sea Hawk with her bottom lip sticking out and tears in her eyes. “How could you bring him home and then kick him out of the bed?” She sniffled. 

“Oh, dearest, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--” Sea Hawk dropped to his knees at the bedside and grabbed a tissue from the side table, using it to wipe Mermista’s eyes. She swatted his hand away. 

“Go take a shower,” she mumbled. “Then come get in bed with us.” 

“Yes ma’am.”


	21. wive’s tales

Late April had the other royal families and their friends itching for summer weather, and Mermista welcomed them to Salineas for a private beach vacation. 

“You find out the sex this week, right?” Spinnerella asked as she bounced two-year-old Jet on her lap. 

“Yep,” Mermista said distractedly, watching Sparrow being chased by Gale, followed by Salty Dog, on the beach. Gale was seven now, and, without a runestone to hold her back, had already started developing powers similar to Netossa’s. She was currently trying to catch Sparrow in one of them. Mermista was absolutely terrified they were going to fall into the ocean, even though she knew that the water wasn’t that deep until you were a good ten to fifteen feet off shore. 

“Stop worrying so much,” Netossa said, elbowing her. “I can already tell that you’re gonna be a mama bear.”

“I just, they can’t breathe under the water.”

“Most of us can’t, Mermista.”

“They both know how to swim,” Spinnerella comforted her. 

Mermista opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Perfuma’s excited arrival. “Your little baby bump!” She exclaimed, dropping to her knees next to her. “It’s sooooo sweet!”

Frosta and Scorpia followed up behind her, the latter carrying a beach bag and a huge umbrella under one arm.

“Hey guys!” Frosta waved. 

“Wow, Mermista, I just gotta say, gosh, you’re glowing!” Scorpia said. 

“Hey, thanks, guys,” Mermista said. Perfuma gave her a hopeful look, and she nodded, knowing she wasn’t going to get out of this. Not when she had her belly on display in a bikini. “You can’t feel them kick yet,” she warned. 

“That’s okay, it’s just so sweet,” Perfuma cooed as she ran her palms over Mermista’s stomach. “Oh, it just feels like a sweet little baby girl,” she sighed as she sat back.

“Really?” Mermista asked, brows furrowed. “What makes you think that?”

“Your aura is all pink!” Perfuma said, clasping her hands together. 

That only added to Mermista’s confusion. “What color is it usually?” 

“My mom said they knew they were going to have a girl because my dad gained weight just like she did when she was pregnant with me,” Frosta said. “She said that doesn’t happen with boys.”

Mermista snorted. “Fat chance of that, Sea Hawk can eat anything and not gain an ounce. Meanwhile I think about ice cream and it goes straight to my ass.”

“So you’re probably having a girl.”

“I think it’s a boy,” Netossa said suddenly. “Gale made my hair fall out, but with Jet my hair grew like a weed, and it was thick and shiny like yours is right now.” 

“Yes, honey, but remember how you were soooo sick with Gale, but not with Jet? From all those girl hormones? Mermista weren’t you super sick until a few weeks ago?”

“I still feel nauseous sometimes,” Mermista admitted. 

“Has to be a girl, then.”

“You want to make this a bet?” Netossa asked, one eyebrow raised. 

“What are we betting about?” Glimmer asked, appearing in a burst of sparkles with Skye in one arm and Angello’s hand held tightly in hers. Catra, Adora and the twins appeared with her, Adora rubbing a nauseous looking Catra’s back. 

“Whether Mermista is having a boy or a girl, and you’re on, babe!” Spinnerella grinned. 

“Oooh! I want in,” Glimmer said gleefully.

“I wanna swim!” Angello was tugging on her arm, trying to get her to let go of his hand.

“Hey, you gotta wait ‘til daddy gets here to swim,” she reminded him, and he pouted. 

“Where are our husbands, anyways?” Mermista asked. 

“Messing around with some water-skiff thing Entrapta and Hordak brought,” Glimmer said absently. “Bow said it wouldn’t be much longer, but you know how it can be.”

“Do you need help?” Adora asked, looking at Scorpia, bringing everyone else’s attention to her. She was very awkwardly attempting to stand up the umbrella she brought, her claws making it difficult to balance and maneuver. 

“Please?” Scorpia asked hopefully, and Adora let go of Hope’s hand to help. The little magicat immediately dropped to a sitting position, entranced by the soft sand and the way it fell between her fingertips when she picked up a handful. Catra sat down next to her, unworried about getting her clothes dirty, and placed Mara between them. Mara wrinkled her nose at the sand, and started to waddle over to Angello, starting a conversation only the two of them could understand. 

Adora helped Scorpia stand the umbrella upright, and Scorpia laid out a huge and colorful woven blanket on the sand, setting down the bag she’d brought on top of it. “Anyone want Kombucha?” Perfuma offered as she unpacked the bag. 

Adora was the only person to fall for it, and the look on her face when she drank from the cup Perfuma handed her was priceless. “Oh, wow,” was all she could say politely. 

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it!?”

“It’s definitely something,” Adora said, nodding. 

The sound of an engine whirring and Sea Hawk and Entrapta excitedly yelling pulled everyone’s attention to the water, where a brilliant blue metal skiff was bouncing over the water in the private bay. Mermista tensed up, at the speed they were moving and in the direction they were going, surely they were going to crash into the cliffs, she was going to  _ kill _ all of them, but it jolted to a halt half a second before it came in contact with the cliffside. One by one, Bow, Sea Hawk, Entrapta and Hordak hopped out of the skiff and onto the shore. 

Mermista still wasn’t, like, super cool with Hordak being around, but he made Entrapta happy, and Mermista liked Entrapta, so she dealt with it. 

“There’s my buddy pal!” Scorpia hollered excitedly, running over to Sea Hawk and picking him up into a tight hug.

“Please don’t break my husband! I kind of need him!” Mermista called as she saw his face start to get a little red. 

“Ope! Sorry, buddy!” Scorpia apologized as she dropped him. 

“It’s fine, Scorpia!” Sea Hawk grinned his dazzling smile, placing a hand on her claw. “Mermista!” He shouted excitedly, running over to her and dropping to his knees in front of her. “Did you see that, dearest?! It’s going to revolutionize sea travel!” Just as he said it, the metal panelling on the side of the skiff fell off and hit the water with a splash, sitting on the surface for a moment before ultimately sinking below it. Entrapta and Hordak both made a face at each other, then ran back to go find the piece that fell into the water. 

“Uh-huh,” Mermista said, not quite impressed. “Did the Butler say when they’d be bringing lunch out? I’m starving.” 

“I’m not sure, dearest, I was on the water with them.” Mermista grumbled and he took her hand, kissing it. “I'm sure it won’t be much longer.”

“Are you craving anything in particular?” Glimmer asked. 

“Right now? Not really…” Mermista said. 

“No, I mean in general.” 

“Lots of sweet stuff,” Sea Hawk offered as he moved to sit next to her. “But that’s not super out of the ordinary.” Mermista elbowed him gently, and he threw an arm around her shoulders. 

“Craving sweets, I vote girl.” 

“How does that..?”

“When I was pregnant with Angello, all I wanted was salt and like, meat. With this little one--” Glimmer pressed her nose to Skye’s, bringing a squeak from the tiny infant, “--I only wanted sugar.” 

“What are we even betting to win?” Catra asked. 

“Good question,” Spinnerella said thoughtfully. “Bragging rights?”

“They name the kid after us!” Netossa said.

“Absolutely not,” Mermista protested. 

“Maybe the losers have to help set up the nursery,” Spinnerella said. 

“I’m okay with that,” Sea Hawk grinned. 

“Didn’t you say you could smell that I was having girls on me?” Adora asked Catra. 

Catra leaned towards Mermista and sniffed once, dropping her ears. “All I can smell is fish.” 

“Have I told you how much I hate you recently?” Mermista asked, and Catra laughed in return. 

“I’m gonna vote girl,” Adora said decisively, and Catra nodded. 

“I think I’m gonna say girl, too, then.” 

“You’re just agreeing with whatever your wife says,” Frosta rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, and? She’s She-Ra. She probably has some magic future prediction powers we just haven’t been made aware of yet,” Catra scoffed. “Besides, we didn’t have weird myths about how to predict the sex of a baby in the horde. I didn’t even know where babies came from until—“

“Oooookay!” Glimmer interrupted. “Bow! What do you think?”

“Huh, me? Uh, well… Mermista, Sea Hawk said that you think you’re having a boy?”

“I have a gut feeling, yeah,” Mermista said as Sea Hawk nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple. 

“I’ll go with boy, then. I trust Mermista’s gut more than I trust any of you guys’ very… unscientific… theories, no offense,” Bow said. At Glimmer's annoyed stare, he added: “It’s just that… that’s where the baby is.” 

Glimmer groaned. 

“Scorpia, what do you think?” Perfuma asked. 

“Oh! Wow, I don’t know. I remember reading in our old records when we were cleaning out the fight zone that the Scorpionis would put an, uh, gosh, a gold ring or something similar on a string and hold it in front of the expecting mother’s stomach. If it goes in a circle, it’s a boy. If it swings side to side, it’s a girl. Or maybe it’s the other way around.” 

“Mermista! Do you have a gold ring?”

“Sea Hawk! Your wedding ring is gold! Hand it over,” Netossa commanded, and Sea Hawk chuckled as he slipped it off of his finger and placed it in her outstretched hand.

“This is so stupid,” Mermista laughed. 

“Just humor them, my sweetest, it’s all in good fun,” Sea Hawk said. Netossa fabricated a string between her fingers and looped it through Sea Hawk’s ring, then held it in front of Mermista’s belly, holding the ring still. She let it go. Everyone was crowding her, trying to get a look at it, and she was starting to get a little claustrophobic, but Sea Hawk placed his hand on hers and it was comforting enough to get her through this. 

The ring began to sway back and forth, then started moving in lazy circles. 

“Ah-ha! So it is a boy!” Netossa exclaimed. 

“You moved it on purpose!” Spinnerella protested. 

“I did not! You’re just mad you’re wrong!” Netossa dissolved the string and handed the ring back to Sea Hawk. 

“Well, I guess I’ll have to go with boy, then,” Scorpia said sheepishly as they argued. “Or maybe that one was girl…”

When Entrapta and Hordak joined them, Entrapta said that there wasn’t enough data to make a decision, and Hordak declined to participate in “such nonsense.” Mermista was fine with that, she really didn’t want him anywhere near her kid.

Shortly after lunch was served, and she was grateful that there was a distraction from her stomach and the baby (and something to satisfy her raging hunger.)


	22. eaglet

“Everything looks good, heartbeat sounds wonderful!” Dr. Ostrea said as she slid the ultrasound transducer over Mermista’s stomach, taking measurements and the like. Mermista and Sea Hawk cooed over tiny baby toes and fingers, and laughed as the doctor pointed out that the baby was sucking their thumb. 

“If I remember correctly, the two of you did want to know the sex, right?” 

“Yes,” Mermista said quickly at the same time Sea Hawk said “Of course!” He chuckled as he placed his head on her shoulder, grabbing her hand as they both looked at the machine. 

“Alright, alright, let me see if I can get them in the right position,” Dr. Ostrea concentrated for a few moments as she tried to get the image up where she needed it to be. She smirked at them as soon as she caught it. “Looks like you’re having a little Prince!” 

Mermista’s shoulders began to shake as Sea Hawk threw his arms around her, both of them crying, though Mermista was definitely going to be blaming hormones later.

“D-dearest! We’re having a boy!” Sea Hawk sobbed. “Oh, stars, Mermista, I love you so much!”

Mermista patted his back. “I know, I love you, too. And I can tell he does, because he’s kicking like crazy right now.”

“I’ve got more good news for you,” Dr. Ostrea said. “Now that you’re twenty weeks along, this is your last hormone injection.”

“Trust me, I know, I’ve been looking forward to this,” Mermista said, gently pushing Sea Hawk off of her, but still holding his hand as the doctor handed her a warm, damp rag to wipe the gel off of her stomach while she put the ultrasound machine away. “I don’t ever want to look at a needle again,” she laughed, placing a hand on her stomach as Sea Hawk helped her move into a sitting position on the exam table. “Sorry little tadpole, you’re gonna be an only child unless your dad wants to carry your siblings like a sea horse.”

“That’s not possible,” Sea Hawk said seriously but sadly. “I looked into it.”

Mermista laughed, loud and ugly, covering her mouth. “Babe.” She shook her head, then threw her arms around his waist. “I love you so much, but you’re so weird.” 

“I wanted to know all of our options!”

When they left the doctor’s office, Mermista’s stomach started growling loudly. 

“Breakfast, dearest?” Sea Hawk asked, taking her arm. 

“Please, your son is craving chocolate and strawberry crepes and orange juice,” Mermista said teasingly. 

“Our  _ son _ ,” Sea Hawk said dreamily. “I’m never going to get tired of saying that. Wait, chocolate and citrus? Okay, gross.” 

Mermista hip checked him. “I can’t control it, asshole.” 

“I know, I know, my love. It’s better than the tuna salad and ice cream you were craving last week.”

Mermista gagged. “Don’t talk about that. It was a moment of weakness.” 

“Well let’s get you some breakfast before you have a moment of murder,” Sea Hawk teased. 

At the cafe, they ordered a little of everything. Mermista scarfed down crepes with whipped cream, eggs benedict and crab cakes, while Sea Hawk had a shrimp and fish scramble with coffee. He admired his wife as he sipped his coffee, and she rolled her eyes at him when she caught him in the act. 

“ _ Stop _ looking at me like that,” she groaned. “ _ Especially _ when I’m eating like a pig.”

“You’re not, you’re lovely,” Sea Hawk said as he reached over and stole a fingerful of whipped cream from her plate. 

“Careful doing that, I might stab you with my fork,” Mermista threatened, brandishing her fork at him like a tiny trident as he licked the whipped cream off his finger. 

“You wouldn’t dare!” 

“Try again and watch me.”

Instead he reached over and took her hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb as he looked out over the sea. The cafe they were at had a big outside eating area overlooking the sea, and they liked to sit right at the edge of it. He watched as a small pod of dolphins played in the water, jumping in and out of it, and an osprey swooped down and caught a fish from the water by the shore.

“What about Eagle?” 

“I said no bird names,” Mermista said sternly.

“You said we could for a middle name!” 

“You want the middle name to be Eagle?”

“Yeah!” 

“Okay, that’s fine. I guess now is the time to start thinking of names… I don’t even know where to begin. Our friends all named their kids after, like, people who were important to them. But I don’t wanna stick our kids with my parents’ names.”

“Kids?” Sea Hawk asked hopefully. 

“You know what I mean,” Mermista said. “I’m not even done cooking this one and you want more?”

“Only if you do, I definitely wouldn’t complain. You know I love kids, and you look so good with them, and right now…” Mermista’s face flushed as she watched his eyes pass over her. “You are just gorgeous.”

“I kind of had a feeling you’ve enjoyed watching me get fat,” Mermista laughed. 

“You’re always gorgeous,” Sea Hawk said in a serious tone. “It’s just, knowing you’re carrying my child--my  _ son _ \--drives me crazier than I thought possible.”

Mermista took some cash out of her purse and set it down oh the table. “I guess we should go home and take care of that, then, huh?” 

* * *

  
  


Sea Hawk woke up to Mermista tossing and turning that night. 

“Dearest?” He asked, his voice raspy. 

“Sorry, babe, I can’t get comfortable and he keeps kicking.”

“Giving your mama trouble, son?”

Sea Hawk moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. He moved one hand down to her stomach, caressing it gently under the fabric of one of his old sailing shirts that she had claimed as her own. Mermista sighed, leaning into him, and he pressed a kiss to her temple, and the baby seemed to be doing somersaults in her stomach. 

Sea Hawk gasped, sitting up. “I felt that one! Hi, sweetheart!” he cooed as he leaned towards her belly, kissing it with a wet smack. 

“Oh, I think you scared him!” Mermista laughed. “He just like, jumped.”

Sea Hawk was rubbing his nose. “I know, I think he kicked me,” he laughed in response, falling back into bed and hugging her. “I can’t wait to meet him.” 

“Me either,” Mermista said, snuggling into him. 


	23. storm eagle

Mermista wasn’t having nightmares again. 

She wasn’t. 

“Salty Dog, please,” she grumbled, pushing him off of her after he woke her up by licking her face, the same way he always did when she would have nightmares and Sea Hawk wasn’t home. As she rounded into her third trimester, they’d planned one last big trip for him to enjoy before the baby came. Even though everything had been relatively fine this pregnancy, they didn’t want to go too close to the due date because Dr. Ostrea warned she could technically go into labor up to four weeks early and be relatively okay, and preterm labor was common in Merfolk, especially when their partners were Etherian. 

Last time he left to help his dad and sister move, she was fine. A week and a half and she slept without a hiccup, Salty Dog curled up at her side and the white noise machine her therapist recommended all those years ago running at full volume. He left yesterday. 

The nightmare started out the same way it usually did, she was chipped and attacking her friends, but then she was pregnant and on Prime’s ship again, and he was talking about taking the baby and--

She shuddered, not wanting to think about it anymore as she sat up, wiping her cheeks from tears and where Salty Dog had licked her. He rested his head on her leg, his tail thumping against the bed. Mermista scratched the spot between his ears with one hand, placing the other on her stomach. 

“What are we gonna do, boys?” 

She decided a shower would help, something to get rid of the sweaty and congested feelings she was having. Entrapta was coming over for the next few days, sans Hordak, to Mermista’s relief. She wanted to observe Mermista in her mermaid form, experiment with her water powers, and also see how her changing between forms affected the baby. If they had time, she mentioned wanting to do some deep sea exploration. Mermista wasn’t quite sure how she was going to swing that, but Entrapta insisted she had it handled. Whatever that meant. 

After the shower, she changed into one of Sea Hawk’s shirts. They were starting to get a bit too tight around her stomach these days, but they smelled like him and brought her comfort. She also stole his pillow, wrapping her arms around it and burying her face in it. That familiar smell of sea salt and firewood filled her senses as she fell back to sleep. 

The rest of her sleep was dreamless, but she still felt uneasy when she woke up the next morning. The two weeks he was gone went by in an uneventful blur. A doctor’s appointment that went well, far too much paperwork for Mermista’s liking, and a visit from Perfuma and Scorpia that lasted a couple of days. Mermista loved seeing her friends, but she couldn’t help but feel tired out by the company.

Perfuma was one of the few people that could get away with invading Mermista’s personal space, and that seemed to extend to Scorpia, too. Perfuma’s response to Mermista’s growing belly was overwhelming and in all honesty, Mermista could have done without all of  _ that _ . The baby seemed to be in solidarity with her, because he refused to kick if anyone else’s hand was on her stomach. 

“Why aren’t you two having kids, then?” Mermista asked over dinner, interrupting a long Perfuma speech about the gift of life and just how wonderful it was that Mermista was bringing a child into the world.

“We’re waiting until we determine whether or not we want to settle in Plumeria or Skorpios,” Perfuma answered. 

“I thought you guys already decided on Plumeria?” Mermista asked.

“We did, and then, well, it’s just hard because the politics have been rocky,” Scorpia replied. “When we decided to appoint a small, local government with leaders people voted for, everyone was all for it! But now it’s just, wow, so much! Since I’m technically, I guess, a figure-head for Skorpios, they still want our guidance. Now they’re thinking of changing the name to something less scorpion-themed, then there’s the issue with who controls the Black Garnet, they want to establish a tax system which we don’t have in Plumeria, and what if we have a kid who connects to the Black Garnet and wants to lead the kingdom?”

“They could run for the position?” Mermista replied dryly. 

“But what if they’re not a popular candidate? I know that I wouldn’t be so popular, you know, with the horde thing and all, and if they’re my kid then--” Scorpia was getting anxious, rubbing her neck with her claw and Perfuma reached over, taking the claw in her arms. It had been kind of a sore topic for Scorpia, the kingdom that would have been hers to rule had she not fallen in love with another princess. She started out not wanting the power, but wanting to restore the kingdom to honor her family. At first she didn’t know if she wanted the leadership position at all--she wasn’t sure she’d be a good fit, she was worried that nobody would want to live in the former Fright Zone under the rule of a former Horde Force Captain. She worked on it, though, but as soon as she’d gotten comfortable with the idea, their marriage happened and her role in Plumeria became more prominent and she had to make the decision to move there permanently. 

“It’s being discussed,” Perfuma said brightly. “We still have a lot of things to work through before we want to become parents. That’s why it’s so exciting to see all of our friends having kids! We get to live vicariously through you!” 

“Ugh, you just like watching me get fat, it’s like when we were thirteen all over again,” Mermista groaned, causing her old friend to laugh. 

“Have you picked out a name yet?” Perfuma asked, changing the subject and taking the stress off of Scorpia. 

“For the baby? No. I mean, we have a middle name, Eagle. I’m not even sure if I’m completely sold on that, but I told Sea Hawk no bird names and we compromised with it being a middle name.” 

“Eagle, huh? That’s kind of cute,” Perfuma said thoughtfully, Scorpia nodding in agreement. 

“I’m surprised he didn’t want to name him Sea Hawk Junior when he found out it was a boy,” Scorpia said. 

“Yeah, I told him that wasn’t happening, like, years ago. But, wait, you mentioned a tax system? If you still need help with that, I can give you some of the materials we use for ours. It’s, like, old as hell but why fix what isn’t broken?” 

* * *

The day after Sea Hawk came home Mermista was laying on her side on the lounge in the library, the latest Mer-mysteries book in her hands and her head in Sea Hawk’s lap. Sea Hawk was absently playing with her hair while he read his own book. 

“What do you think of Storm?” Mermista asked out loud, turning to lay her back so she could look up at Sea Hawk. 

“As the killer? Eh, I don’t think so, I believe her alibi,” Sea Hawk said. 

“No, for the baby.” They’d been tossing names they liked at each other for weeks now, and still didn’t have one for the little tadpole. Mermista was 30 weeks along now, so while they had time, they really didn’t. And she kind of wanted a name to announce when everyone came over next week to help with the nursery. Netossa’s bet was a success: since almost everyone thought it was a girl, they had plenty of hands to help. 

“Storm Eagle Salinean…” Sea Hawk mused. “Yeah, I like that.” 


End file.
